View source for Universal Postal Union

{{CompanyInfo|
| logo            = Upu.png
| type            = 
| industry        = Postal service
| founded         = 1874
| founders        = 
| ownership       = 
| headquarters    = Universal Postal Union<br/>International Bureau<br/>P.O. Box <br/>3000 Berne 15
| country         = Switzerland
| businesses      = 
| products        = 
| employees       = 
| revenue         = 
| website         = [http://www.info.post/ info.post]
| blog            = 
| facebook        = [http://www.facebook.com/pages/Universal-Postal-Union/104068549629158 Universal Postal Union]
| linkedin        = [http://www.linkedin.com/company/universal-postal-union Universal Postal Union]
| twitter         = 
| keypeople       = Bishar Hussein, Director General<br/>Pascal Clivaz, Deputy Director General
}}

The '''Universal Postal Union''' ('''UPU''') was established in 1874 and is headquartered in Berne, Switzerland. It is one of the smallest United Nations specialized agencies,<ref>[http://www.upu.int/en/resources/vacancies/about-vacancies.html upu.int]</ref> as well as the second oldest international organization in the world. The UPU contains 191 member countries, making it one of the most important forums for cooperation between entities in the postal sector. The UPU also sets the rules for the sake of international mail exchange and provides recommendations to help enhance the parcel, the volumes of financial services and enhance the quality of the service to the consumers. It also helps in ensuring that there is a true universal network for the latest products and services. <ref>[http://www.upu.int/en/the-upu/the-upu.html upu.int]</ref>

'''It is the sponsoring organization for the [[.post]] [[sTLD]].'''

== UPU and ICANN ==
There are stark similarities between ICANN and the UPU, since they are both active forums for international representatives, from governments and the private sector, working to serve billions of people across the globe. Both are governed by a bottom-up process.

===.Post sTLD===
During the first round of ICANN's gTLD [[New gTLD Program|expansion program]] in 2000, the UPU  submitted an application for the [[.post]] top level domain name ([[TLD]]). <ref>[http://archive.icann.org/en/tlds/app-index.htm New TLD Program Application Process Archive]</ref>  .Post was not included in the first batch of approved TLDs. In 2003, UPU again submitted its application for the .post during ICANN's [[sTLD|sponsored top level domain name]] (sTLD) expansion program. The application underwent an extensive evaluation, and ICANN and UPU negotiated several issues within the application. On November 3, 2009, the two organizations resolved the issues and reached a sponsorship agreement, which was posted for public comments.<ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-2-06sep07-en.htm .POST Top-Level Domain | ICANN Continues Negotiations with UPU for .POST sTLD]</ref><ref>[https://community.icann.org/display/tap/2009-12-09+-+.POST+Sponsorship+Agreement 2009-12-09 - .POST Sponsorship Agreement]</ref><ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-02nov09-en.htm .POST Sponsorship Agreement Posted for Public Comment]</ref>

On December 11, 2009, ICANN and UPU signed the .post sTLD agreement.<ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/about/agreements/registries/post .POST Sponsored TLD Agreement]</ref>  Through the partnership, ICANN and the UPO maintain their traditional autonomy, core values, and separate missions. The agreement was considered an achievement for both organizations and the global Internet community. According to then ICANN CEO, [[Rod Beckstrom]], "“This contract with the UPU is an important contribution to the Internet. It is part of our desire to provide a single interoperable communications network that can connect all people around the globe. It also strengthens ICANN’s role as a leader in dealing with IGOs.”''  <ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-20oct09-en.htm icann.org]</ref> .Post is a highly restricted TLD dedicated to facilitating secure and trusted postal services over the internet.
== Structure ==

The UPU is comprised of four bodies, which include the Congress, the Council of Administration (CA), the International Bureau (IB), and the Postal Operations Committee (POC). It also consists of 2 cooperatives, the EMS Cooperative and Telematic Cooperative.<ref>[http://www.upu.int/en/the-upu/the-upu.html upu.int]</ref> 

== Concerns ==
* General policy issues
* Letter post
* Electronic services
* Financial services
* Technical cooperation
* Parcels
* Postal economics
* Sustainable development<ref>[http://www.upu.int/en/activities.html UPU Activities]</ref>

The paradigm shift in the postal arena led the UPU to devise strategies that could be implemented worldwide. The strategic planning of the UPU helps its member countries to meet the modern challenges of the postal industry and also assist them synchronize their working methods with postal sector trends. The UPU also defines relations between the operators, regulators, restricted unions and the governments.<ref>[http://www.upu.int/en/the-upu/strategy/about-strategy.html UPU Strategy]</ref>


== References ==

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[[Category:Major articles parallel with Wikipedia]]
[[Category: Organizations]]