NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 13 – The Government has entered into an agreement with the United Nations to host a global postal meeting in Nairobi next year.
Information and Communications Minister Samuel Poghisio and the Director General of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), Edouard Dayan, on Wednesday signed a formal agreement on the hosting of the UPU Strategy Conference in Nairobi in September 2010.
A brief signing ceremony was held at UPU headquarters in Berne, Switzerland, on the sidelines of the ongoing UPU’s Council of Administration. The UPU is a specialized agency of the UN dealing with postal matters.
The Council of Administration is the body of 41 member countries that oversees the Union’s activities. Kenya is the current chair.
“The post is going through tremendous transformation in response to new challenges brought about by the changing market environment and technology,” said the Minister.
“It is our responsibility, as UPU members, to ensure the post continues to play the important role it does in our economies. The Nairobi Strategy Conference will be one important forum to discuss the future of this important industry, ” he added.
The Strategy Conference will take place on September 22 and 23, 2010, at the United Nations complex in Nairobi.
About 800 delegates from the UPU’s 191 member countries and international organizations are expected to attend the meeting. The Strategy Conference is held at the half-way point between two Universal Postal Congresses to monitor progress in achieving the UPU’s world postal strategy.
The last Universal Postal Congress, held every four years, took place in Geneva in 2008.
Participants at the Strategy Conference will also examine the issues and priorities affecting the global postal sector that should be incorporated in the next UPU strategy, to be adopted at the 2012 Universal Postal Congress in Qatar.
