The UPU and the International Trade Centre (ITC) collaborate to leverage the power of postal services for inclusive trade and e‑commerce development. Their partnership focuses on empowering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), promoting gender inclusiveness and enhancing trade facilitation processes.
1. E‑commerce for SMEs: The UPU and ITC work together under the eTrade for all initiative to strengthen the role of postal services in connecting SMEs to global markets. By leveraging the UPU’s extensive postal network, the partnership enhances SMEs’ access to e‑commerce opportunities, enabling them to expand their businesses across borders.
2. Gender inclusiveness: The partnership prioritizes the empowerment of women traders to use postal services for e‑commerce development. By addressing gender barriers in trade, the UPU and ITC promote equitable access to global markets for women entrepreneurs. At the 2024 TradePost Awards, the UPU and ITC introduced a new category to celebrate initiatives that drive gender equality through the postal network, namely the UPU–International Trade Centre (ITC) TradePost Award for Gender Inclusion through the Post. This award recognizes outstanding initiatives that promote the trade inclusion of craftswomen and women entrepreneurs through the postal network. Eligible submissions include innovative projects that create new opportunities for women in trade or enhancements to existing postal or non-postal products and services that support women entrepreneurs.
3. Trade facilitation: To streamline border processes for postal shipments, the UPU and ITC collaborate on initiatives that reinforce the postal sector’s role in the design and implementation of trade facilitation reforms. These efforts are aimed at making cross-border trade faster, more efficient and accessible to all.
4. WSIS action line C7 on e‑business: As co-facilitators of World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) action line C7 on e‑business, alongside UN Trade and Development, the UPU and ITC advocate for the integration of postal services into the digital economy. This collaboration supports the WSIS goal of building an inclusive information society for sustainable development.
5. Broadband Commission and SME development: The UPU and ITC contribute to the Broadband Commission’s working group on SMEs, fostering discussions on connectivity, digital solutions and infrastructure to support small businesses globally.
The UPU is a member of the United Nations Group on the Information Society, advocating for the postal sector’s contribution to digital and trade inclusion.
The UPU and ITC remain committed to empowering SMEs, addressing gender gaps in trade and enhancing postal services as a vital tool for global development. Together, they will continue to promote innovative solutions for inclusive trade and e‑commerce.
For more information on the TradePost Awards, click here.
