10 October 2016

Dubai - The UAE was elected member of the Postal Operations Council (POC) of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) during elections that took place in Istanbul as part of the UPU Universal Postal Congress.  This is an illustrious addition to the international honours won by the UAE over the past few years and represents an expression of confidence by the 190-member Universal Post Union, which directs the global postal policies and advancement.

The Postal Operations Council (POC) comprising 40 countries assumes several responsibilities, including supervision of all UPU activities in the interval between congresses, necessary discussion on maintaining the quality of the international postal service and strengthening the business, modernizing the services and promoting international technical cooperation, and approving the UPU budget every two years.

The POC is the technical and operational mind of the UPU with a term of four years. The body elects its own chair and meets annually at the UPU’s headquarters in Berne. The POC works to help Posts modernize and upgrade their postal products and services. It deals with the operational, economic and commercial aspects of the postal business.

Reacting to the honour, Chairman of Emirates Post Group HE Mohammed Sultan Al Qadi, congratulated His Highness the President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President & Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Their Highnesses members of the Supreme Council and rulers of the Emirates, on this great achievement.

He hailed the UAE’s election to the elite UPU body as ‘a great achievement’ because it will enable the UAE to be  an active participant in creating postal policies and also enhance the country’s stature on the global front. He added that the UAE will have a major role in shaping global postal policies of the Universal Postal Union and make the UAE engage in administrative, legislative and legal issues on a regular basis.

Acting Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Post Group Mr.  Abdullah Alashram expressed confidence that as a POC member EPG would be able to contribute more effectively to the development of postal services globally, with an extra focus on the Arab world. The election took place on the sidelines of the UPU Universal Postal Congress held in Istanbul, where the UAE showcased its achievements, especially in the field of EMS, and its quantum leap in the overall standards of postal services and financial services in particular.

Mr. Abdullah Alashram said, “The latest honour is in tune with EPG plans to implement UAE’s 2021 Vision to be one of the best countries in the world.  At EPG, we are driven by a strategy to be a model of development, innovation, excellence and high standards. The current achievements are a result of the concerted efforts of our team to work towards a common goal, where each individual is committed to giving his best in achieving UAE’s 2021 Vision.”

“Our election to the POC is an expression of trust enjoyed by the UAE and Emirates Post Group in the field of postal and financial services. We believe this is just the start, and we are on the way to scaling new heights of creativity and innovation, in cooperation with the member countries of the UPU, sharing a common mission to develop postal services to keep pace with global developments by overcoming all challenges on the way to e-transformation of mail services.”

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Anthony Francis (Corporate Communications Department). Phone +9714 2303145

© Press Release 2016