| An international intergovernmental organization is an entity formed by the governments of various foreign countries to coordinate government policy and/or action on targeted issues. The Universal Postal Union is one type of an international organization. It is an organization that coordinates communication and cooperation among the different postal systems throughout the world.
Formation/Members
The UPU was established in 1874, making it one of the oldest international organizations. Before the UPU was established, each country had a separate postal treaty with each country with which it wished to exchange mail. The United States first voiced the need for a multilateral agreement among many nations. When the UPU was first founded, it was called the General Postal Union. Its name was changed to the Universal Postal Union in 1878.
Any member of the United Nations may be a member of the UPU. Non-UN members may also join the UPU if two-thirds of UPU members approve their membership. Today, the UPU has nearly 200 member nations.
Purpose and Activities
The UPU serves as the primary forum for the world's postal systems to communicate and coordinate services. The UPU renders advice and sets rules on international mail exchanges, but it does not insert itself into issues involving purely domestic mailings within a particular country's own postal system. Therefore, issues such as domestic postal rates, new stamps, and operation of postal offices are not a concern of the UPU.
The UPU has worked on several issues throughout the organization's existence. It obtained agreement from its member nations that the stamps from the sending country's postal system would be accepted for the entire transit. Prior to such agreement, stamps from each country through which a letter would travel had to be affixed to the letter. The UPU has ensured that the cost to mail an international letter is more or less uniform throughout the world. The UPU helped develop the policy that each country retains the money it collected to initiate an international mailing.
Structure
Headquarters for the UPU are located in Bern, Switzerland. The International Bureau serves as the administrative headquarters for the organization. The UPU's policy is set by the Universal Postal Congress. The Congress meets once every five years. The UPU has two Councils, which manage the organization in between Congress meetings. The Council of Administration and the Postal Operations Council both consist of 40 member countries. The Council of Administration ensures that the work scheduled by the Congress is carried out between meetings. It also approves the budget for the organization and coordinates technical assistance among member countries. The Postal Operations Council deals with new postal products and postal payment regulations.
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