Signed by 22 countries, the Berne Treaty established the Universal Postal Union (UPU) on October 9, 1874. The organization was originally called "General Postal Union," but the 1878 Paris Congress changed the name to the Universal Postal Union. The Berne Treaty established the first Convention governing international postal services, which came into force on July 1, 1875. The UPU has been a specialized agency of the United Nations since July 1, 1948.

The Constitution containing the organic rules of the Union is the fundamental Act of the Union. It is a diplomatic Act, ratified by the competent authorities of each member country. Amendments to it can be made only at Congress and are recorded in an Additional Protocol, which is also subject to ratification. The countries that adopt the Constitution, under the title of the Universal Postal Union, comprise a single postal territory for the reciprocal exchange of letter-post items. Freedom of transit is guaranteed throughout the entire territory of the Union, whose aim is to secure the organization and improvement of the postal services and to promote the development of international collaboration.

The current Constitution dates from the 1964 Vienna Congress; there have been six Additional Protocols, each ratified in subsequent Congresses (Tokyo 1969; Lausanne 1974; Hamburg 1984; Washington 1989; Seoul 1994; and Beijing 1999). The provisions relating to the application of the Constitution and the operation of the Union are contained in the General Regulations that are revised at each Congress. The common rules applicable to the international postal service and the provisions concerning the letter-post and parcel-post services are given in the Convention and its Regulations. The Regulations of the Convention are agreements concluded by the national postal administrations elected by the Congress to the Postal Operations Council (POC). The POC has the authority to amend the Regulations at its annual sessions. The Convention and its Regulations are binding on all member countries. The Postal Payment Services Agreement and its Regulations are binding only on the countries that are parties to the Agreement. In addition to the UPU Acts proper, there is a series of resolutions, decisions, recommendations and formal opinions that make up the Decisions of Congress.

The principle of technical cooperation was introduced into the UPU Constitution at the 1964 Vienna Congress because of the need to assist many newly formed countries that joined the UPU in the early 1960s. Since that time, technical cooperation has been at the heart of the UPU's mission. Before 1995, UPU technical assistance was principally funded by the UNDP or by other international development organizations. Following changes to the UNDP's programming system, the resources earmarked for the development of the postal sector fell sharply. As a result, most of the funds destined to finance technical cooperation activities now come from member country contributions to the UPU budget or to the Special Fund. Each Congress defines the direction and framework of the technical assistance programme for the coming five years, taking account of the objectives of the World Postal Strategy set by the supreme body. The 1999 Beijing Congress decided that the direction and action programme for UPU technical cooperation would be based on the six objectives of the Beijing Postal Strategy.

COMPOSITION

189 members: Islamic State of Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and its Overseas Territories, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Republic of Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

STRUCTURE

The Union's permanent bodies are the Council of Administration, the Postal Operations Council and the International Bureau. Congress, which normally meets every five years, is the supreme body of the Union and consists of representatives of member countries.

The Council of Administration (CA), which meets annually, is composed of 41 members elected by the Congress. Its main functions are: to ensure the continuity of the work of the Union in accordance with the provisions of the Acts of the Union between Congresses; to supervise the activities of the Union between Congresses to ensure compliance with the decisions of the Congress; to examine questions with respect to governmental policies on postal issues, primarily as regards the mandatory services; to take into account international regulatory developments such as those relating to trade in services and to competition; to promote, coordinate and supervise all forms of postal technical assistance within the framework of international technical cooperation; to consider and approve the biennial budget and accounts of the Union, as well as yearly updates of the UPU's Programme and Budget; to approve the updates to the strategic plan between Congresses; to provide controls over the activities of the International Bureau; to make decisions regarding contacts with international agencies and outside bodies; to approve recommendations of the Postal Operations Council to the Convention and Agreements between Congresses. The CA's Committees include: Committee 1 (General Matters of Policy and Principle); Committee 2 (Programme and Budget); Committee 3 (Technical Cooperation).

The 1994 Seoul Congress created the Postal Operations Council (POC). It replaced the Consultative Council for Postal Studies (CCPS) established by the 1957 Ottawa Congress. Composed of 40 members elected by Congress, the POC deals with the most important operational, commercial, technical, economic and technical cooperation problems of interest to postal administrations of all member countries, including questions with major financial repercussions. The POC oversees the following: Committee 1 (Economic issues and regulations); Committee 2 (Markets); Committee 3 (Operations).

The 1994 Seoul Congress created the Postal Operations Council (POC). It replaced the Consultative Council for Postal Studies (CCPS) established by the 1957 Ottawa Congress. Composed of 40 members elected by Congress, the POC deals with the most important operational, commercial, technical, economic and technical cooperation problems of interest to postal administrations of all member countries, including questions with major financial repercussions. The POC oversees the following: Committee 1 (Economic issues and regulations); Committee 2(Markets); Committee 3 (Operations).

The International Bureau (IB) serves as the secretariat and provides administrative support for the Union's bodies (Congress, CA and POC) and the Directorate General.

The UPU's annual budget for 2002-2003 is 35.7 million CHF.

GENERAL PUBLICATIONS