The UPU opened its inaugural Regional Strategy Forum for 2026-2029 in the Cayman Islands today. Focused on the Caribbean region and the first in a global series, the meeting represents a significant step in shaping the UN specialized agency for postal cooperation’s next global strategy for the sector.
Taking place June 3rd and 4th in Grand Cayman, this landmark event gathers ministers, regulators and heads of posts from Caribbean countries to discuss and address the region’s specific challenges and opportunities within the sector, ensuring their inputs are reflected in the organization’s future roadmap.Opening the meeting, UPU Director General Masahiko Metoki emphasized the importance of this collaborative effort, stating, "Both the global postal sector and the UPU are facing new risks; however, with these risks come new opportunities. For this reason, we need an optimistic, forward-looking strategy that focuses on getting the groundwork right, to help ensure that our Union continues to go from strength to strength.”
“To make the Dubai strategy a success, it must be your strategy. It must be a strategy that reflects your needs, and proposes solutions to address them," he added.
Caribbean Postal Union Secretary General Clare Seraphin-Wallace highlighted the forum's significance, noting, "The Universal Postal Union plays a critical role in fostering collaboration and innovation within the global postal landscape. This regional summit provides a crucial platform for us to address the specific challenges and opportunities facing the Caribbean postal sector."
The forum will examine the UPU’s draft strategy, which has three central goals focused on enhancing global connectivity, strengthening the sector through innovation, and ensuring global postal development through collaboration. A series of interactive discussions over two days will allow the region to provide its input and identify its top three priorities for the 2026–2029 cycle.
The series of six regional meetings – taking place in Caribbean, Africa, Latin America, Arab region, Europe and CIS, and Asia-Pacific – will culminate in a final draft of the strategy that will be reviewed and proposed by the UPU’s Council of Administration for decision at the next UPU Congress in Dubai in 2025.
The next forum, focused on the African region, will be held in Arusha, Tanzania, June 13-14.