The UPU has pledged financial help to rebuild the postal structure in Pakistan, which was damaged by recent floods, and has set up a special fund.
The UPU has already earmarked 100,000 Swiss francs to purchase trucks to serve as mobile post offices and mail-delivery vans. “We have to address the most urgent needs since we do not yet know the extent of the damage,” says Abdel Ilah Bousseta, the UPU's director of development cooperation.
Member countries can also make donations to a special account to assist the flood-stricken country.
According to Pakistan Post, over 1,300 postal offices were damaged or destroyed. The focus is now on setting up mobile post offices in the most affected areas with the primary goal of getting emergency aid to victims. The country is still able to send and receive international mail.
As a United Nations specialized agency, the UPU is part of the UN’s network for coordinating aid. The World Health Organization (WHO) has just requested the UPU’s help in gathering as much information as possible on addresses, postcodes and maps so that it can coordinate its assistance. The WHO urgently needs this information to locate the country’s health infrastructure and to organize humanitarian aid and the work of experts on site.
The UPU is in daily contact with Pakistan Post about the country’s postal situation, and is keeping its member countries informed through its Emergency Information System or EmIS.
The floods in Pakistan - the biggest natural disaster in its history - have affected an estimated 17 million people. Millions have abandoned their homes and infrastructure has been severely damaged in the worst-affected areas.