The UPU cannot deliver alone. Partnerships help strengthen and accelerate the development impact of our projects and policies through both concrete country-level efforts and global and regional initiatives.
With the support of partnerships and stakeholder engagement, the UPU aims to co-create and implement solutions and policies by leveraging local and global postal networks.
As stated in Sustainable Development Goal 17, achieving the ambitious targets of the 2030 Agenda requires a revitalized and enhanced global partnership that brings together governments, civil society, the private sector, United Nations system and other actors, and mobilizes all available resources.
The UPU is committed to working closely with partners from the private sector and across the UN system, alongside industry stakeholders and organizations that share the objectives of inclusive, innovative and sustainable development across its 192 member countries.
- 75 years of collaboration between the UPU and the International Air Transport Association (IATA): On 17 May 1950, in Montreux, Switzerland, the UPU’s Executive and Liaison Committee decided to create a joint Committee with members of both the UPU and IATA as a forum for post-airlines cooperation. Further to this decision, the first IATA-UPU Contact Committee was held in Cairo, Egypt, from 22 January to 5 February 1951. Since then, this body has met twice a year to develop and maintain a vast array of global policies, processes and standards that make sure that mail can be seamlessly transported by air. We’re celebrating 75 years of constructive dialogue and fruitful collaboration to address logistical challenges and service quality for customers worldwide.
A key partner of the UPU, IATA is also celebrating their 80th anniversary as an organization and we wish them continued growth and success in their endeavors to connect the world, facilitating travel, trade and communication. Read more here
- Driving public health through postal networks: In April 2025, a new partnership agreement was finalized between the UPU and WHO to strengthen collaboration between UPU’s Post4Health and WHO SPECS 2030 initiatives. The initiative introduces a powerful and innovative concept, a service delivery model for the provision of affordable reading glasses through India’s extensive postal network. Find out more.
Shaping tomorrow’s postal solutions: highlights from the UPU Innovation Challenge 2025
30.06.2025 — The third UPU Innovation Challenge took place from 21 to 23 May in Limassol, Cyprus, bringing together innovators, policymakers and postal experts from around the world. Held alongside the 33rd Conference on Postal and Delivery Economics, the event served as a laboratory for sharing fresh thinking on how postal services can adapt to a digital and sustainable future. Participants tackled three core themes powered by data integration and artificial intelligence: digital identity, circular economy logistics and the future of the universal service obligation (USO).
Posti and Escher Group partnership
27.06.2025 — As digitalization progresses, almost every postal operator faces a shift in demand for its services: letter volumes are declining sharply, while parcel volumes are growing given the rising popularity of e‑commerce. For postal operators, this presents the dual challenge of remaining profitable despite falling letter volumes, while handling increasing parcel traffic efficiently. To maintain reliable and efficient delivery services in the face of these challenges, Posti, the Finnish postal operator, has partnered with the Escher Group, a UPU Consultative Committee member, to enhance its use of optical character recognition (OCR) and advance its automation processes.
Special delivery: how human-centred AI can strengthen postal resilience to natural hazards
25.06.2025 — Rain or shine, national postal services continue to deliver letters and packages across regions and borders, connecting communities and supporting essential public infrastructure. But what happens when a landslide blocks the only road to a valley, volcanic ash grounds air traffic, or drought leaves waterways unnavigable?