Opening remarks by the UPU Director General Bishar A. Hussein during the Conference on Postal Regulation "UPU Remuneration Systems - New Frontiers for an Old World?", 9 April 2019, Berne, Switzerland.
Distinguished delegates,Esteemed colleagues
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the UPU Conference on postal regulation.
This important event is organized under the umbrella of the Council of Administration, and with the full support, and wise input, of Committee 2.
The UPU provides the postal community with a unique platform to address the strategic challenges our sector faces, whether operational, commercial or regulatory.
During the conference on postal regulation, we have gathered together the stakeholders involved in designing, implementing and monitoring regulatory frameworks, so that we can hear their voices.
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today’s conference is slightly different in that we have departed somewhat from our usual concept.
In order to help inform the postal remuneration debate, we have called for public consultation, and in doing so, opened the conference up beyond the UPU’s most direct stakeholders.
As part of the consultation process, all interested parties have been invited to submit their papers for this conference.
We have received 12 papers, five from among today’s panellists.
The contributors come from governments, designated operators, commercial organizations, consultants and academics.
The first panel members, from all areas of the sector, will present their perspectives on balancing competition with universal access.
The relevant factors are numerous, they include:
- The need for universal access to affordable international postal services;
- The increase in cross-border competition; and
- The impact of the various policy options on the UPU mandate to provide the universal service, economic efficiency, political economy, and socio-economic conditions.
Our remuneration system and its policy principles affect the development of sustainable trade, other trade policy frameworks such as those of the World Trade Organization, and numerous free-trade agreements.
For this reason, we find not only policy tensions, but also synergies among these various systems.
Finally, we will be presented with the thoughts of the third-panel members on how we can move forward with the Integrated Remuneration Plan while incorporating the needs of the UPU’s multiple stakeholders.
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today’s conference on postal regulation addresses the challenges regarding the future of postal remuneration, and the principles that member country governments take into account in shaping the Integrated Remuneration System for the 2020 Abidjan Congress.
In conclusion, I thank the panellists for their participation in today’s forum, as well as our moderator, free-lance journalist, Mr. Haig Simonian.
I wish you an excellent conference.