Japan’s Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications has announced the government’s voluntary contribution of 260,597,000 Japanese Yen (2 million USD) to UPU projects on disaster risk management, digital transformation, e-commerce and other initiatives supporting sustainable development objectives.
The announcement was made during an official visit of the Minister to UPU headquarters yesterday.“Japan will actively and continuously provide comprehensive financial, human resource, and policy support to the UPU,” said Japan’s Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Yasushi Kaneko.
“Through the "Japan Fund", Japan will continue to contribute to the sustainable development of the postal sector by supporting the strengthening of disaster risk management in the postal sector and the promotion of digital transformation and carbon neutral initiatives,” he added.
“Fostering the sustainable development of the global postal network is an immense, but worthwhile challenge – one that will require ample resources to achieve. In this context, we are very grateful for this additional support from Japan, which will help UPU meet the needs and expectations of its 192 member countries,” said UPU Director General Masahiko Metoki.
The contribution marks the start of a four-year extension of the Japan Fund until 2026. The cooperation was launched in 2010 as a means to support the UPU’s climate change and greenhouse gas reduction initiatives, but was later expanded to disaster risk management and other sustainable development initiatives. The renewed agreement will also cover the application of cutting-edge technologies across the postal network, financial inclusion initiatives, and the implementation of social services projects through the postal network.
The UPU’s activities have benefited significantly from the agreement, which saw Japan contribute a total of 6.28 million Swiss francs (6.4 million USD) during the previous cycle, 2016 to 2021. This support enabled the UPU to provide more than two-dozen technical assistance projects to member countries and hold capacity-building workshops in Asia-Pacific, Africa, Latin America and Arab region.
Emergency support for Ukraine
During his visit, the Minister acknowledged the UPU’s increasingly important role in the midst of global logistics disruptions caused by global events, including the pandemic and armed conflicts such as the one taking place in Ukraine. He pledged 100,000 Swiss francs from the Japan Fund to the UPU’s Emergency and Solidarity Fund (ESF) in support of Ukraine.
The UPU’s ESF is a voluntary fund that allows the UPU to provide emergency assistance to restore postal services in the immediate wake of a crisis, such as armed conflicts. Funds from this special account will be used to provide assistance to Ukrposhta, which has continued to serve civilians, including those internally displaced within Ukraine and refugees in surrounding countries, with essential services and humanitarian aid despite the deaths of several postal staff and damage to postal infrastructure.
To learn more about the ESF, visit: https://www.upu.int/en/Postal-Solutions/Capacity-Building/Emergency-and-Solidarity-Fund
To learn more about donating to the ESF, contact drm[at]upu.int.
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The Universal Postal Union is a UN specialized agency with its headquarters in the Swiss capital Berne. Established in 1874, it is one of the world’s oldest international organizations and is the primary forum for cooperation between postal sector players.
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