Strengthening operational efficiency and effectiveness, along with e-commerce development, emerged as top priorities in the Caribbean for the work cycle of 2017-20. Level-two priorities identified at the conference included financial services, postal sector development, and diversification.
In a written statement delivered to conference delegates, UPU Director General Bishar A. Hussein called for reforms conducive to better flexibility among Posts.
“We at the UPU believe that to successfully address the dynamic changes taking place in the marketplace, radical reforms are called for in the postal sector,” he said in the statement.
“These reforms will accord the industry more flexibility for innovation into new business areas.”
He also praised accomplishments under the auspices of the current Regional Development Plan (RDP), notably the development of human resources through training. Indeed, this is a level-one priority in the 2013-16 RDP.
Top action areas
At Tortola, British Virgin Islands, officials representing governments and designated operators in the region issued a declaration embracing what Hussein has dubbed the Vision 2020 strategy, based on innovation, integration, and inclusion.
The number-one priorities identified in the declaration - strengthening operational efficiency and effectiveness and e-commerce development - have cropped up as key action priorities at several other regional strategy conferences.
The declaration stated that “it is vital for designated operators to participate in e-commerce and, to ensure competitiveness in this market, concrete improvements are needed in the operation of the postal network.” This extends to standardizing operations, better quality of service, postal security, risk disaster management, and the usage and implementation of ICT tools.