Disaster Risk Management

The world has seen its fair share of natural disasters in recent years, with devastating effects on populations and communication infrastructure, including postal networks. 

Disasters directly affect public postal services by causing damage to infrastructure, vehicles and equipment, loss of postal items and customer data, and even loss of life. This can lead to the closure or disruption of major trade and communication channels. 

At the same time, disasters such as the COVID-19 global pandemic – or, more specifically, the response to those disasters – can serve to highlight the value of postal services. Post offices and mail processing centres can draw on their extensive networks to act as distribution points for emergency supplies. Moreover, postal services can help to coordinate emergency aid operations and provide much-needed money transfers to vic­tims in affected areas, as well as a basic means of communication. 

Postal employees’ knowledge of the communities they serve is virtually unrivalled. Increasing the resilience of Posts can help to improve risk management when natural disasters strike and can also enhance the resilience of communities as a whole.

The Universal Postal Union (UPU) is committed to supporting United Nations actions in the area of disaster risk reduction. Since 2013, it has been developing a global disaster risk reduction and management policy for the postal sector, consistent with key international instruments such as the Hyogo Framework for Action and the UN Plan of Action on Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience. The latter encourages UN specialized agencies to include climate change and disaster risk management in their activities. The UPU is also committed to implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 to make communities safer and more resilient. 

The UPU’s objective is to ensure that the postal sector adopts appropriate strategies for dealing with the pro­liferation of natural hazards and managing the adverse impacts of those hazards on the global postal network. These strategies will ultimately help to make the postal network more resilient to disasters and will be a key component of disaster response at the national level. They will also promote the dissemination of information through postal networks to enhance the ability of local communities to withstand disasters.

The UPU has implemented a number of actions to help member countries and DOs to restore their facilities and maintain the postal network in the wake of disasters. Since 2010, it has established the Emergency and Solidarity Fund and has collaborated with Japan to strengthen disaster risk management and sustainable development activities, funded by a voluntary contribution from the Government of Japan. 

The UPU has provided training to raise awareness of disaster risk management under the Japan Fund. Furthermore, since 2013, it has selected over 30 projects for technical assistance under the Disaster Resilience Fund. It has recently expanded its disaster risk management activities to include capacity building and certification. 

The UPU is inviting member countries to submit applications for technical assistance projects in the area of disaster risk management, based on a methodology developed by the Emergency Assistance and Disaster Risk Management Task Force and funded by a voluntary contribution from the Government of Japan.

The following types of projects are eligible:

• Development of new DRM plans or enhancement of existing ones, based on the 2021 UPU DRM Guide, which sets out the general background, concepts, definitions and relevance of DRM in the postal sector
• Development of DRM expertise (training, seminars, expert consultancy)
• Procurement of equipment and materials for DRM activities, including satellite phones, generators and other items that can be used in preparing for and responding to natural disasters

Project beneficiaries should be developing countries, and particularly least developed countries. Member countries currently under sanction are not eligible for this technical assistance.

The amount of financial support for each project will range from 10,000 CHF to 100,000 CHF. However, the final budget allocation will be based on careful examination of the application.

The project duration will be determined by the nature of the activity. In principle, the project should be completed within 12 months of the date of announcement by the UPU International Bureau of the project(s) selected.

Interested member countries are asked to submit project applications by completing the application form below and emailing it to drm@upu.int.

The UPU has completed national business continuity planning projects in Bhutan, Costa Rica and Grenada. It has also completed a regional business continuity planning project to help to create an action plan for the Caribbean region. 

The UPU has completed national capacity-building projects in Bhutan, Grenada, Somalia and Tonga. It has also completed global and regional workshops. 

The UPU has completed projects to equip designated operators for disaster preparedness in Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Colombia, Grenada, Mexico, Rwanda, Somalia and Tonga.

The 26th UPU Congress in Istanbul endorsed Japan’s proposal to continue DRM efforts in the postal sector, especially for the developing and least developed countries. 

Congress resolution C 14/2016 included a recommendation for the relevant bodies of the UPU to “study the possibility of a specific certification process which would allow postal operators to improve their disaster risk management approaches and benchmark their level of implementation in the framework of the UPU disaster risk management guide”. 

The DRM guide provides an appropriate, uniform starting point for developing a DRM certification process for postal operators.

The DRM certification will: 

• offer a standardized DRM framework for the postal sector;
• support postal operators in their efforts to ensure the resilience of their operations by providing a step-by-step methodology adapted to their unique geographical conditions and challenges;
• stimulate continuous improvement in the area of disaster preparedness and risk management;
• provide postal operators with recognition for their work in the area of DRM and enhance their national and international reputation as DRM stakeholders;
• help postal operators to build a trustworthy brand.

The overarching objective will be to assist postal operators in maintaining business continuity and ensuring national and international quality of service in the aftermath of a natural disaster. This is particularly important in remote areas, where the Post is often the first government agency to resume service after a disaster and can play an essential role in helping the community and public services to return to normal.

A standardized framework for disaster readiness will enable postal organizations to develop or enhance their preparedness for disasters, consistent with relevant UPU security and operational standards.

The DRM certification process will reflect the scope of the DRM guide (i.e. natural disasters) to leverage existing resources, facilitate future coordination and create synergies with related activities. It will dovetail with the development cooperation activities of the UPU International Bureau and will be aligned with existing UPU certification processes. 

DRM certification covers the five phases of disaster management: Prevention, Preparedness, Response, Recovery and Mitigation, and includes an initial vulnerability and risk assessment.

The DRM certification process includes: 

• a simple, straightforward methodology;
• a tiered approach, allowing postal operators to progress in their work on DRM according to their conditions and capabilities;
• alignment with existing UPU certification processes;
• the incorporation and enhancement of existing UPU DRM resources.

DOs will be able to apply for certification on an ongoing basis by submitting the documentation below.

Before the certification process, applicants must demonstrate a commitment to disaster readiness. They must also identify the person(s) responsible for DRM within the organization and the technical expert(s) who will attend training sessions and participate in the implementation phase.

Three levels of DRM certification will be offered: Bronze, Silver and Gold. DOs will be encouraged to progress from one level to the next, thus building their DRM capacity. Member countries’ socio-economic and postal development will be considered when defining these levels so as to ensure an appropriate threshold for participation.

Once issued by the IB, certification will be valid for three years, after which the DO can apply for re-certification.

Member countries and designated operators wishing to apply for assistance under the UPU's Emergency and Solidarity Fund, please visit the dedicate page here.

Any questions regarding certification and applications may be sent to this email address: drm@upu.int.