Scheduled for Nairobi, the Congress will now be held in Geneva, Switzerland
Given the current situation in Kenya, the Universal Postal Union’s Council of Administration on Friday decided to change the venue of the 24th Universal Postal Congress from Nairobi, Kenya, to Geneva, Switzerland.
The UPU Congress was scheduled to take place in Nairobi from 13 August to 3 September 2008. The event attended by about 1,500 delegates from the UPU’s 191 member countries will now take place in Geneva from mid-July to early August; the exact dates remain to be confirmed.
A resolution adopted by the Council also recommends that Congress approve Kenya’s chairmanship of that Congress as well as the chairmanship of the UPU Council of Administration from 2009-2012. It will also recommend promoting Nairobi as the venue for the UPU Strategy Conference in 2010.
Kenya has not yet communicated its response to this resolution.
In a presentation to the Council before the decision was taken, Samuel L. Pohgisio, Minister of Information and Communication for Kenya, had asked the Council to continue supporting Kenya in preparing the Congress. “Although Kenya has recently experienced some post-election violence, we are confident that the situation has sufficiently stabilized and that complete peace has been restored in most parts of the country. In addition, significant progress has been achieved at the current mediation talks and the goodwill demonstrated by all parties provides strong indications that a lasting solution on all issues is within sight,” said the Minister. He was accompanied by Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Maria Nzomo.
UPU member countries decided, however, that time was of the essence. UPU Regulations bound the organization to having a Congress in 2008. The UPU must hold a Congress every four years. The last one was held in Bucharest, Romania, in 2004.
The situation in Kenya currently prevents the UPU International Bureau to work effectively with Kenya on continuing to organize a Congress in Nairobi. As a specialized agency of the United Nations, the UPU follows UN security rules. At the moment, the UN has implemented security phase II in Nairobi and phase III in the entire Rift Valley. As such, all non-essential UN missions to Kenya remain suspended.
Under UPU General Regulations, when circumstances prevent the designated host country of a Congress to organize the international meeting as planned, the UPU International Bureau headquartered in Berne organizes the Congress in Switzerland. This is done in agreement withthe Swiss Government.
“Kenya has shown great strength and courage in defending its position, but in the end a decision had to be made in the interest of the UPU and its member countries,” said UPU Director General Edouard Dayan. “The decision shows our wish to keep Kenya at the centre of the Congress organization and the work of the UPU, and we can guarantee that the UPU Congress will be held this year as planned. We are very grateful to the Swiss authorities for their support in welcoming the Congress in Geneva, and we hope that the International Bureau will be able to work closely with Kenya to ensure the event’s success.”