The 27th Universal Postal Congress is taking place in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, 9-27 August 2021 following a decision of the Council of Administration.
Reacting to the news, the Deputy Director General of the UPU, Pascal Clivaz, said, “I am so pleased that we are going ahead with the Congress in Abidjan. By holding the Congress in Africa, we can showcase the region’s high energy, creativity and technological innovation.”
For the very first time in its 146-year history, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) is introducing a hybrid approach to the 27th Congress with members being able to attend in person, or by joining via a virtual platform set up by the UPU’s International Bureau.
The approach is similar to working methods agreed for the two UPU councils since October 2020, and is being adopted due to health and safety concerns, and restrictions on travel and quarantine requirements. In order for a hybrid approach to be adopted, the Congress Rules of Procedure of Congresses will have to be adjusted to enable virtual participation.
New technology platforms are being implemented to enable event management for registration, verification and authorization of the delegates, and for virtual conferencing, live streams, and voting on proposals, resolutions and elections. Important training sessions for these platforms will be provided by the UPU to those attending at least one week before the Congress starts.
During the Congress period, representatives of member countries will agree new rules and set policies on the international exchange of postal items, elect the next UPU Director General and Deputy Director General and decide on the membership of the UPU’s Council of Administration and Postal Operations Council for 2022-2025. The Congress will also decide on topics such as opening up the UPU to wider sector postal players.
All Congress participants—including Union member country delegates and observer representatives—are expected to be registered and accredited. This is irrespective of whether they are participating physically or remotely. Registration information will be available on the Congress webpage ahead of the event. Badges will be printed and made available to Congress participants attending in person, while access credentials will be provided to those individuals registered to participate remotely. For all the latest information on the Congress visit the dedicated web page: https://www.upu.int/en/Universal-Postal-Union/About-UPU/Bodies/Congress