Universal Postal Union (UPU)
The UPU is a United Nations (UN) specialised agency. It was established on 9 October 1874 in Berne, Switzerland. Germany has a special link to the UPU as it was Heinrich von Stephan, the postmaster general, who initiated the establishment of what was then known as the General Postal Union. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) represents Germany within the UPU and is supported by the Bundesnetzagentur. The Bundesnetzagentur participates in activities and work within the UPU’s Council of Administration (CA) (responsible for administrative, legislative and regulatory issues) and Postal Operations Council (POC).
Organisational structure
Every four years, a Universal Postal Congress sets the UPU’s strategic and financial course. The International Bureau (IB), based in Berne, takes care of day-to-day business between the regular Universal Postal Congresses. The IB works under the supervision of the CA, which also has control over the IB’s finances within the framework of the budget set by the Congress and consists of 40 elected member countries together with the country hosting a Congress. The CA meets twice a year. The POC has 48 elected members and is responsible for international postal operational and standardisation matters. It also meets twice a year.
The BMWE represents Germany within the UPU and is supported by the Bundesnetzagentur. The federal government nominated Deutsche Post AG as the designated operator responsible for the contractually agreed operational rights and obligations within the UPU.
Dubai Congress
The Congress in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) in 2021 set the course for the current four-year period, which ends in 2025. The Congress held in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) in 2025 decided on the strategy for the forthcoming four-year period.
Masahiko Metoki (Japan) was re-elected as Director General and Marjan Osvald (Slovenia) as Deputy Director General. The main issues included changes in customs legislation and their effects on international postal services, the updating of the products offered within the framework of the UPU, the mutual remuneration system for designated operators, and rules on service quality.