Effective collaboration between all stakeholders helps make the wider postal sector more resilient, sustainable, coordinated, relevant, inclusive, agile and responsive to new challenges and opportunities.
By working together, stakeholders can help to make the postal sector more resilient by identifying and addressing potential issues before they become problems.
Collaboration can also help to make the sector more sustainable by promoting environmentally-friendly practices.
Coordination among stakeholders can help ensure that the postal sector is responsive to new challenges and opportunities, and that resources are used efficiently.
Through collaboration, the postal sector can be more inclusive by reaching out to under-served communities, and more agile by being able to adapt to changing circumstances.
- Better insight into and global overview of the current research, policy and regulatory work
- Visibility and networking opportunities across the postal ecosystem
- Opportunity to directly contribute to the UPU’s mission
As a member of the consultative committee, we can help you facilitate meetings between CC members and member countries (designated operators, regulators, and ministries in charge of post) you want to correspond with.
Gold members are entitled to unlimited use of the Matchmaking service.
Silver members are entitled to 5 successful matches, where the member country the wish to correspond with agrees to meet with them. They are subsequently invoiced 1000 CHF per successful match.
Bronze members will always be invoiced 1000 CHF per successful match.
Depending on the membership category, members gain different access to the UPU proceedings, events, documentation, and networks.
There are 4 types of membership of the Consultative Committee, with their own particular benefits and fees:
1. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) wishing to apply for membership of the CC (specific membership benefits as presented in the scale of fees defined by the CC). The annual fee for NGOs is 5.000CHF.
2. Academia- Research institutions and Universities wishing to apply for CC membership (specific membership benefits as presented in the scale of fees defined by the CC)
For Research Institutes, and Universities, there is an Academia membership available which is also 5.000 CHF annually. Academia membership types have the same entitlements as NGOs.
3. High-Level Figures wishing to apply for CC membership (specific membership benefits as presented in the scale of fees defined by the CC).
There is also a membership option for High-Level Figures, who are the leading players in the wider postal sector. The annual membership fee for High-Level Figures is 5.000 CHF, and has the same entitlements as NGOs.
Non-Governmental Organizations 5,000CHF | High-Level Figures 5,000CHF | Academia and Research Institutions 5,000CHF | |
| Attend CC General Assembly meetings |  | | |
| Attend CA/POC plenary meetings (observer) | | | |
| Access UPU documents and publications | | | |
| Eligible for CC chapter rapporteur | | | |
| Eligible for CC sub-rapporteur/sub-theme | | | |
4. Individual companies wishing to apply for membership of the CC (specific membership benefits as presented in the scale of fees defined by the CC) in one of the following three categories: Gold, Silver or Bronze.
Please note that according to the Consultative Committee Rules of Procedure, art. 11, Financing of the Committee, members are obligated to pay annual membership fees.
The annual membership fee to be paid (calendar year):
Gold Member
Silver Member
Bronze Member
20,000 CHF
15,000 CHF
10,000 CHF
| GOLD MEMBER 20'000 CHF / year | SILVER MEMBER 15'000 CHF / year | BRONZE MEMBER 10'000 CHF / year | |
| Attend CC GA meetings (Access to UPU events platform) | | | |
| Attend CA/POC plenary meetings * (Validation by CC Chair mandatory) | | | |
| Access UPU docs and publications | | | |
| Eligible for CC sub rapporteur/sub theme (CC nomination / CC election) | | | |
| Eligible for CC chapter rapporteur (CC nomination / CC election) | | | |
| Eligible to sponsor lunch, coffee breaks or evening receptions during UPU meetings and international postal events (Visibility opportunity with a stand, Standard price package per pax and possibility to have discounts for CC members - to be discussed in advanced with CC vice-Chair) | | | |
At its plenary meeting held on 16 May 2022, the Consultative Committee (CC) decided on a new financing model for the CC (CC 2022.2–Pres 4). This was presented to the Plenary of the Council of Administration (CA) on 20 May 2022, which took note of the report.
This new financing model (a new Consultative Committee (CC) membership category), has consequently been discussed since S2 and presented at S5 during the next UPU CC Management Committee meeting (scheduled for 10 April 2024, 14.00–17.00 CEST). The UPU CC General Assembly (scheduled on 1 May 2024, 14.00–17.00 CEST) is expected to review and approve CC 2024.1 doc 4, which will also be presented at the POC Plenary (25-26 April) and at the CA Plenary (3 May) for status update.
Building on the success of the existing membership category model, this new financing model concerns the definition of a new CC membership category (provisionally termed “Platinum”), whose main additional benefits would be to foster access, by certain types of WPSP, to the already approved UPU products and services – subject to the relevant POC/CA decisions – and, as appropriate, existing UPU user-funded subsidiary bodies (again, with access conditioned by the relevant rules of procedure of the latter).
To ensure the efficient onboarding of interested WPSPs to this new CC membership category, the proposal is to operate a “certify, plug, and pay” process for access to UPU products and services. The three steps are as follows:
1. Certify: This will allow the UPU to facilitate a gateway for reliable integration between all postal sector stakeholders, ensuring that CC members can confidently interconnect their products and services with the designated operators (DOs) of UPU member countries. Once certified (following the necessary legal and technical review and acceptance process), the new category of CC members would be able to directly access the UPU’s postal IT network (POST*Net) and, for instance, securely exchange postal data with DOs and other eligible postal sector entities;
2. Plug: The POST*Net network constitutes the only fully harmonized, interconnected, and interoperable electronic network (as an intrinsic element of the UPU’s Global Postal Model (GPM)) enabling the secure and safe exchange of electronic advance data on postal consignments worldwide. For CC members, plugging into such a network would constitute a unique opportunity to integrate with the 192 UPU member countries, their DOs, and other eligible postal sector entities. The proposed new Platinum membership category would thus reflect a unique value proposition for CC members wishing to connect to POST*Net and the other UPU products and services referred to above;
3. Pay: Only two specific types of WPSP would be able to apply for potential CC membership under the new Platinum category:
- Postal solution providers offering their services to DOs for compliance with legal and regulatory frameworks (customs, import duties, transport security, product safety, sustainability) and
- Postal volume providers wishing to access the GPM, notably by inducting their cross-border postal volumes (e-commerce) and making use of the capillarity of the UPU global postal network for last-mile delivery, return logistics and payment solutions.
The new members who join the UPU CC in the course of the year will receive an invoice for membership fee of the current year with the amount to be paid only for the months left before the end of the current year on a pro rata basis.
In line with the Consultative Committee’s official Rules of Procedure,
“Membership fees shall be due at the beginning of each calendar year. Members that have not paid the membership fee within three months from the date of the invoice may not participate in the meetings of the Committee and shall not be eligible to vote until their outstanding debts in arrears are settled in full. Moreover, members that have not paid their membership fees for two years shall be automatically excluded from the Committee.”
Article 4, Consultative Committee Rules of Procedure
If you would like to withdraw your membership from the Consultative Committee, please contact the CC Secretariat at cc@upu.int no later than 31 December of the year prior to the withdrawal year. Please send an official letter in the name of the UPU Director General signed by the CEO of your company, to cc@upu.int. Otherwise, your membership will be automatically renewed on 1 January and you will need to pay the invoice for CC membership in the beginning of the year.
Universal Postal Union
International Bureau
Consultative Committee
Weltpoststrasse 4
3015 BERNE
SWITZERLAND