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With less than one month to go, preparations for this year’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) are well underway.
The event, which will be held in Glasgow in November, has four clear goals: secure global net zero by mid-century and keep 1.5°C within reach; adapt to protect communities and natural habitats; mobilize finance; and work together to deliver.
In a recent letter to UN parties, Alok Sharma, COP President Designate, stressed the importance of setting clear actions at COP26 to achieve these goals: “The eyes of the world are on all of us to translate political will and positive intentions into concrete commitments and practical action, commensurate with keeping 1.5°C alive. The time is now to come together and deliver, for present and future generations.”
The impacts of climate change are being felt worldwide, and without immediate action the effects will only get worse. As a specialized agency of the UN, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) has a key role to play in supporting posts to play their part in achieving COP26’s goals. In the area of mobilizing finance, the UPU’s Quality of Service Fund (QSF) has been financing postal development projects for the past 20 years. The Fund has to date supported more than 900 projects and 175 beneficiary postal operators around the world.
“The QSF has proven to be one of the most reliable instruments currently available to finance improvements in quality of service and postal infrastructure,” says Choy Han Сhum, the Head of UPU’s QSF.
At the 27th Universal Postal Congress in Abidjan in August, a new proposal was adopted to enhance the goal of the QSF to include a sustainable development dimension. “The future direction of the fund will be geared toward supporting and contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goal 13 on ‘Climate Action’,” Chum adds.
Many of the UPU’s members have already invested heavily in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. A number have also set ambitious net zero targets. Royal Mail, for example, aims to have a net zero carbon business by 2050. Posti, which is already 100% carbon neutral, plans to eliminate emissions by 2030, and La Poste Group in France has the objective of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
La Poste Group’s Director of European and International Relations, Jean-Paul Forceville, who has recently been elected as the new Chair of the UPU’s Postal Operations Council, will be speaking at the upcoming World Leaders Forum on October 11 as part of the 15:30-16:30 session, “Industry experts and thought leaders discuss and reflect on the journey ahead”.
To join the discussion, register for free here. The Forum will highlight all the latest sustainability issues and green developments within the postal sector ahead of COP26. Held under the theme “One Ocean – Many Currents”, the one-day event will provide excellent insights into today’s challenges and opportunities for postal professionals from all around the globe.