The annual meeting of the Advisory and Executive Council of the UPAEP was held last 4-8 April in Montevideo, Uruguay, where ANACOM and the CTT represented Portugal.
Various related meetings were held during that period alongside the Council meeting: meeting of the Intergroup Coordination Committee; session focusing on preparations for the Universal Postal Union (UPU) Congress; Forum on Innovation, Inclusion and Integration; seminar on postal security; seminar on Integration of UPU Products.
Highlights of topics dealt with in the Council meeting included matters concerning the organisation’s overall management and finances, reports from the various working groups and adoption of the action plan for 2016.
Also notable was the special session devoted to preparing for the UPU Congress, led by Portugal (CTT), which raised a great deal of interest and involvement by countries. Particularly relevant was the debate on reform of the UPU.
During this Advisory and Executive Council session a ceremony was held in the Legislative Palace of Uruguay to commemorate UPAEP’s 105th anniversary. Symbolic homage was also paid to Cuba and the United States of America for re-establishing in March of this year direct postal interchanges between the two countries, which had been suspended for 48 years under the economic embargo imposed by the USA.
Also noteworthy was the change of country hosting the UPAEP Congress. It will be held in 2017 and was to have taken place in Venezuela, after the previous congress accepted that country’s invitation. But Venezuela recently indicated it could not uphold the invitation due to ongoing financial instability. Mexico consequently indicated it was available to host the Congress, which was welcomed by the Council. The 2017 Congress will therefore be held in Mexico City, most likely in the month of September.
The next meeting of the Advisory and Executive Council is scheduled for 8-12 May, as usual in Montevideo.
