Signing of 2004 UPU Congress Agreements signal

beginning of a close partnership

Berne, Switzerland/Bucharest, Romania, 20 June 2003

The Government of Romania and the Universal Postal Union today signed two Agreements formalizing their relationship in the organization of the 23^rd UPU Congress in Bucharest, Romania.

The agreements were signed by Dan Nica, Minister of Communications and Information Technology in Romania, and Thomas E. Leavey, Director General of the UPU, as well as by Gabriel Mateescu, Chairman and CEO of the Romanian Post and Moussibahou Mazou, Deputy Director General of the UPU.

The Agreements detail the tasks and responsibilities of each of the parties in the organization of the world event. As such, they signal the beginning of a close partnership between the Romanian government, the Romanian postal administration and the UPU’s International Bureau.

The 2004 UPU Congress will take place from September 15 to October 5, 2004. Close to 2,000 delegates and staff representing 189 countries are expected to attend the Bucharest Congress.

During the signing ceremony, Thomas E. Leavey thanked the Romanian Government for generously accepting to host the event after Côte d’Ivoire was forced to pull out from the organization of the Congress as a result of the political situation in that country.

“Judging from the great importance the country attaches to hosting the event, I am confident that the Government of Romania will provide the necessary assistance to ensure that the 23^rd Universal Postal Congress is highly successful,” said Leavey. “The UPU will work closely with the organizing committee to offer guidance and counsel.”

The Romanian Government assured the UPU of its commitment to the organization of the 2004 Congress. Said Dan Nica, Minister of Communications and Information Technology: “The Government of Romania considers the activities of the Universal Postal Union of the utmost importance, as postal services continue to hold an essential role for the development of any country and for the consolidation of a better connected world.”

Leavey added that the Romanian Government will greatly benefit from the experience of organizing an event of such magnitude, especially the Romanian Post. As the Congress host, the Romanian Post will chair, for the next five years, the UPU’s Council of Administration immediately following the Congress. The Council of Administration ensures the continuity of the UPU's work between Congresses, supervises its activities and studies regulatory, administrative, legislative and legal issues.

The Universal Postal Congress is the supreme authority of the UPU and brings together plenipotentiaries of all member countries. Although Congress’ main function is legislative, it has in recent years focused much of its attention on strategic and broad polical issues.

About the UPU

The Universal Postal Union is the primary forum for cooperation between postal services. As a specialized agency of the United Nations, the organization fulfils an advisory, mediating and liaison role, and renders technical assistance where needed. It sets the rules for international mail exchanges and makes recommendations to stimulate growth in mail volumes. The UPU’s main objective is to improve the quality of the international mail service and to make postal services accessible, affordable, reliable and secure for all the citizens of the world.

The postal services of the UPU’s 189 member countries form the largest physical distribution network in the world. More than five million postal employees work in 660 000 postal outlets to ensure that some 430 billion mail items are processed and delivered each year to all corners of the world.