UPU Conference on Postal Regulation

The second Conference of 2022 will be held on 27 October at the UPU headquarters in Berne, Switzerland. Taking into account the need for member countries to prepare for the upcoming Extraordinary Congress in 2023, this Conference will be a critical opportunity to advance the dialogue on opening up the UPU to wider postal sector players.

The Universal Postal Union (UPU) holds a Conference on Postal Regulation during each Council of Administration session, as a forum for the dissemination of information and sharing of experiences and best practices in the field. The Conference has attracted a great deal of attention and interest from governmental, regulatory and operational entities, as well as from external stakeholders.

The second Conference of 2022 will be held on 27 October at the UPU headquarters in Berne, Switzerland. Taking into account the need for member countries to prepare for the upcoming Extraordinary Congress in 2023, this Conference will be a critical opportunity to advance the dialogue on opening up the UPU to wider postal sector players. 

The UPU wishes to take this opportunity to invite top-level decision makers from governments, regulatory authorities, designated operators and wider postal sector players to attend and actively participate in the Conference. 
 
This Conference comes at an important juncture in the UPU’s work on this topic. It will provide an excellent platform to share views on opportunities and challenges, as well as the next steps needed to achieve greater engagement and collaboration between the UPU and wider postal sector players. This topic is vital to the future of the Union, and your voice counts.

Click here to view full slide presentation.
 
Contact
CA C 2 secretariat: CA.C2.Secretariat@upu.int

Programme:

Opening of the UPU to the Wider Postal Sector
 

Part I: Morning session (9:00 – 13:15)
9.00 – 9.10	Opening remarks  Mr Masahiko Metoki, UPU Director General
9.10-11.10	Theme one: WPSP Engagement in decision-making Panel 1 will address the rationale and scenarios on opening up the UPU to the WPSPs from an institutional perspective. It will address the essential questions on (a) whether the UPU’s current institutional mechanisms for WPSPs’ engagement is adequate; and (b) to what extent the WPSPs can be further integrated into the UPU structure and its decision-making process. The panel will benefit from the experiences of governments/regulators of member countries, as well as stakeholders from the private sector. Scene setting presentation on an overview of the topic by TF co-chairs (10 minutes) Four panelist speakers to present their experiences and insights (15 minutes each) Q&A session (40 minutes) led by the moderator Summary conclusions drawn by the moderators (10 minutes) Moderators: Mr Samir Zouaoui, Co-Chair of the UPU Task Force on the opening of the UPU to wider postal sector players, Algeria Mr Stuart Smith, Co-Chair of the UPU Task Force on the opening of the UPU to wider postal sector players, United States of America Panellists: Mr Walter Trezek, Chair of the UPU Consultative Committee Mr Jean-Paul Forceville, Chair of the UPU Postal Operations Council Mr Guzmán Acosta y Lara, Director Nacional de Telecomunicaciones y Servicios de Comunicación Audiovisual, Ministerio de Industria, Energía y Minería, Uruguay Mr Mohamed Zaidi Abdul Karim, Head, Postal, Courier and E-Commerce Services Division, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission
11.10-11.15	Panel changeover
11.15-13.15	Theme two: Access to UPU products and services Panel 2 will examine the UPU’s products and services that may serve as the basis for partnership with WPSPs. It will address issues such as: (a) anticipated results of access; and (b) implications for the provision of the universal postal service; and (c) principles and conditions for opening the UPU products and services to WPSPs. The panel will provide an opportunity to engage a wide range of stakeholders. Scene setting presentation by CA C2 co-chairs (10 minutes) Four panelist speakers to present their experiences and insights (15 minutes each) Q&A session (40 minutes) led by the moderator Summary conclusions drawn by the moderator (10 minutes) Moderators: Dr Rajeev Venugopal, Co-Chair of the UPU Council of Administration Committee 2, Canada Ms Nermin Hassan, Co-Chair of the UPU Council of Administration Committee 2, Egypt Panellists  Mr William Lee, A/g Director, Postal Policy, Post, International Telecommunications and ACMA Branch, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, Australian Government Mr Vincenzo Aurelio, Head of Relations with International Authorities and Organizations, Poste Italiane, S.p.A. Ms Katherine Muth, Executive Director, International Mailers' Advisory Group (IMAG) Mr Keith Kellison, Sr. Vice President, Corporate Public Affairs, United Parcel Service (UPS)
Lunch Break (13:15 – 14:30)
Part II: Afternoon session (14:30 – 18:30)
14.30-16.15	Open discussion on Theme 1 The open discussion will be moderated by the TF Co-Chairs. The session will begin with an update on the work to date on this topic by the TF Co-Chairs including the results of recent survey work.  Participants will then be invited to discuss the key issues on Theme 1, taking into account the outcomes of Panel 1 and the presentation of the TF Co-Chairs. The discussion is to last for one hour and 15 minutes. The remaining 30 minutes will be devoted to the moderators. They will present and/or consolidate the outcomes of the discussion and take questions posed by the audience.   The sub-themes to be covered will include a) How much decision-making ability should the WPSPs have within the current CC or a separate structure? Why? (b) How the WPSPs can be further integrated into the UPU structure and its decision-making process? and (c) Which is the  best governance structure to integrate WPSPs into the UPU in the future?
16.15-18.00	Open discussion on Theme 2 The open discussion will be moderated by the CA C2 Co-Chairs. The session will begin with an update on the work to date on the technical review by the CA C2 Expert Team Co-Chairs (Austria and Uruguay) including the results of recent survey work and the first work on the technical assessments of UPU products and services. Participants will be invited to discuss the key issues on Theme 2, taking into account the outcomes of Panel 2 and the presentation of the ET Co-Chairs. The discussion is to last for one hour and 15 minutes. The remaining 30 minutes will be devoted to the moderators. They will present and/or consolidate the outcomes of the discussion and take questions posed by the audience.   The sub-themes to be covered will include (a) Which products and services do WPSPs wish to access? And which are priorities? (b) How do we find the balance between USO, level playing field principle and reciprocity of interconnection between stakeholder networks? (c) Which products and services could be potentially made accessible with relevant proposals to the Extraordinary Congress in 2023 and under what terms and conditions? (d) How can the terms and conditions of access to UPU products and services by WPSPs ensure the role. relevance and sustainability of the UPU?
18.00-18.20	Main conclusions and takeaways Task Force and CA C2 Co-chairs will wrap up the conference day by drawing the main conclusions and takeaways. Each Co-chair will have 5 min each for their individual interventions.
18.20- 18.30	Closing remarks Mr Marjan Osvald, Deputy Director General