Organizing an international congress event, which typically attracts more than 2,000 people, is no easy task, but this year, the task at hand is even more monumental.
The 27th Universal Postal Congress will be held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, on 9 to 27 August 2021. Due to the global pandemic and related travel restrictions, it is unlikely that all member states will be represented in person, which means that the Congress Secretariat is now preparing for the possibility of the event being held in both physical and virtual formats.
The Congress Secretariat is currently finalizing the details of the 27th Congress, including the substantive proposals to be considered and facilitating its logistics, as well as implementing the technology that will be used if a hybrid approach is adopted.
Siva Somasundram, Director of Policy, Regulation and Markets (DPRM) and Congress Plenary Secretary, says, “Currently, the UPU’s Rules of Procedure state that Congress can only be held in person. Changes to those rules can also only be made in person at Congress. Therefore, the decision as to whether the event can run in both physical and virtual format can’t be made until the first day of the event. If the hybrid approach is adopted member countries will be able to use a virtual conferencing platform to participate, negotiate and vote on a whole range of substantive matters.”
According to Somasundram, the main aim is to ensure that the 27th Congress, if it is to proceed in a hybrid fashion, is held in the same way as an ordinary congress, so all events, tasks, voting and procedures that are usually held in physical format are replicated virtually.
The virtual conferencing platform is already in place and has been used for the past year for Council of Administration and Postal Operations Council meetings. “We have had to customize it for the purpose of Congress,” explains Somasundram. “We needed to introduce an electronic voting system, for example, and provide for an end-to-end solution ranging from registration, delegate credentials validation, and remote and physical participation for voting.” To ensure member states and their representatives are confident using the new electronic voting system, the UPU will be holding two weeks of training in the lead up to Congress.
While work is finalized on the logistics of holding the 27th Congress, the Secretariat continues to prepare for the substance of the event itself which will see the adoption of the Abidjan Postal Strategy. “This will set the priorities and objectives that the UPU needs to work on for the next cycle – 2022-2025,” Somasundram concludes.