India elected to key bodies of Universal Postal Union

Source: This post is based on the article “India elected to key bodies of Universal Postal Union” published in “ANI” on 30th August 2021.

What is the News?

India has won elections for membership of the Council of Administration (CA) and the Postal Operations Council (POC) of the Universal Postal Union(UPU) at the 27th UPU Congress.

What is Universal Postal Union(UPU)?

1. Universal Postal Union(UPU) was established by the Treaty of Bern in 1874. It is a United Nations specialized agency. It is also the second-oldest international organization worldwide.
2. Purpose: It is the primary forum for cooperation between postal sector players. It helps to ensure a truly universal network of up-to-date products and services.
3. Headquarters: Bern, Switzerland

Members:

1. Any member country of the United Nations may become a member of the UPU.
2. Any non-member country of the United Nations may become a UPU member provided that its request is approved by at least two-thirds of the member countries of the UPU. The UPU now has 192 member countries.

Bodies: The UPU consists of 4 bodies:

1. The Congress: It is the supreme authority of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and meets every four years.
2. The Council of Administration: It ensures the continuity of the UPU’s work between Congresses, supervises its activities and studies regulatory, administrative, legislative and legal issues.
3. The Postal Operations Council: It is the technical and operational mind of the UPU and consists of 40 member countries elected during Congress.
4. The International Bureau: It provides logistical and technical support to the UPU’s bodies.