Voice Mail

Ep 21: Connectivity that transforms lives - ITU SG

Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General, discusses how meaningful connectivity can help bridge the digital divide.

According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), around 2.7 billion people – one-third of the global population – remained unconnected to the Internet in 2022.

This persistent digital divide disproportionately affects women and girls, especially in rural areas and developing communities, leaving them outside of the rapidly growing digital economy.

The ITU, a sister agency with which the UPU shares a long history of connecting people and a common goal of advancing universal digital inclusion, strives to use ICTs and technological innovations to transform people’s lives, including those of women.

In line with the global theme of International Women’s Day 2023, the UPU invited Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General and the first woman to hold this post, to share her views on how digital technologies can open new opportunities for women and girls. She delved into how global digital partnerships, like Giga or connect.post, can help unlock this potential, and why transformative leadership is essential to bridge the digital gender gap and accelerate our progress towards a more equal, connected future.

Ep 20: Gender equality in the post

According to UN Women, over the past decade, women’s exclusion from the digital sphere has cost low- and middle-income countries $1 trillion of potential GDP.

As a traditional provider of postal social and digital services that accelerate national development, the Post can help and support women, especially in developing and least developed communities, to take full advantage of digital transformation.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2023 celebrated under the global theme of innovation for gender equality, Ian Kerr spoke to Marjan Osvald, UPU Deputy Director General and the first UPU Gender Equality Champion. They discussed ways that Posts can lead change towards a more equal world, how the UPU and partners work to promote this leadership, and how small steps can make a big difference.

Ep 19: Alliance to combat illicit trade

Illicit trade is hardly a new phenomenon. What is new, however, is its recent unprecedented growth spurred by globalization and the internationalization of trade.

Counterfeits, smuggled tobacco and alcohol, unauthorized pharmaceuticals, pesticides, petroleum, and wildlife – the scope of illicit trade is enormous and, although each region experiences it differently, there are common vulnerabilities that make supply chains prone to such illegal exploitation.

Identifying commonalities to develop a more holistic approach to eliminating illicit trade is the main goal of the Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT), an independent, business-led initiative to secure the global supply chain and a new UPU postal security partner.

In this episode of Voice Mail, recorded just one week before formalizing this new collaboration, Ian Kerr spoke to Jeffrey Hardy, TRACIT’s Director General, about the dangers illicit trade presents to postal customers and employees, the costs it incurs on postal infrastructure and the ways to avoid these risks through public-private partnerships and capacity building.

Ep 18: Taking action on road safety - UNRSF

Road safety is crucial to postal organisations. With millions of postal workers using the roads daily, raising awareness of road traffic rules and ensuring the safety of equipment and infrastructure is vital for Posts if they are to operate smoothly and efficiently.

However, the quality of broader road traffic infrastructure and policies is highly dependent on the level of socioeconomic development and varies drastically across regions. While 1.3 million people perish on the roads every year, the majority of them being youth, road safety remains a largely underinvested area in more and less developed communities alike.

Established in 2018, the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) helps bridge these gaps in road safety finance by working with different actors to mobilise the resources needed to support high-impact projects.

In this episode of Voice Mail, Nneka Henry, Head of the Fund’s Secretariat, explains why investing in road safety is crucial, what the main challenges of securing road safety finance are, why partnerships are key to make a difference, and where Posts can step in to help meet the ambitious Vision Zero to end traffic-related fatalities.

Finally, in the run-up to the International Day of Education on January 24, we talk about the importance of protecting the most vulnerable road users, children.

Ep 17: Building climate resilience in Africa

AfDB Climate and Environment Finance Manager Gareth Phillips discusses the state of climate finance in Africa and means of building the continent’s resilience to climate shocks, highlighting the widest gaps and the most promising solutions.

COP27, the major global climate change forum convened annually by the United Nations, ended on 18 November 2022, leaving a mixed feeling of satisfaction and disappointment among its diverse participants. An immense challenge for negotiators, for international climate finance bodies like the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Conference is a unique opportunity to network and secure the vital funds needed to save livelihoods and advance a carbon-neutral, climate-resilient future.

Africa is the continent most in need of such support. With only 3.5-4% of total global climate finance coming to Africa – most of which is reserved for mitigation activities – there is more to be done to help African communities adapt to climate disruptions quickly and efficiently. From improving energy access, switching to renewables, managing waste and increasing recycling to establishing carbon-neutral infrastructure and building awareness of climate-friendly options and technologies, successful climate adaptation and mitigation require contributions from a wide network of actors, including the Post.

Ep 16: Opening the UPU Consultative Committee

The UPU Consultative Committee is open to the private sector. In this episode, we discuss why this has happened, and we speak with some of the new private sector members of the Consultative Committee:

• Alexander Thern-Svanberg (Secretary, UPU Consultative Committee) discusses the reasoning behind opening the UPU Consultative Committee to the private sector
• How the Consultative Committee is organised
• Embracing a private sector perspective
• Egon Veermae, COO at Eurora Group, talks about technology and cross-border
• Solving the pain points of cross-border e-commerce
• How private sector members can contribute to the Consultative Committee and the postal world
• Andrii Shapovalov, co-founder at Stampsdaq, talks about Stampsdaq's evolving relationship with the UPU
• Capitalising on stamps' heritage with new technology, creating new revenue lines for postal operators
• Yuichiro Ishibashi, Deputy Vice President, International Business Development, Security and Automation Systems Division, Toshiba
• Understanding international standards for letters and parcels

 

Ep 15: Technology in the postal world with UKi CEO Tony Robinson

Tony Robinson, UKi CEO and founder of global postal event Parcel+Post Expo, discusses the role and importance of technology in the postal world:

• Launching publications in the postal, technology, and transport sectors
• Optical character recognition and letter sorting automation
• The genesis of Post Expo
• The transformation of posts from traditional businesses to a high-tech industry
• Innovation driving opportunities for the postal world
• Role of the postal sector within the broader transport industry
• The rise of online retailers such as Amazon, and penetration and improvement of internet access
• Emerging technologies that could shape the future of the postal sector
• Improving e-commerce parcel delivery
• Autonomous delivery vehicles
• Technology and sustainability
• Consumer purchasing trends and impact on the last mile
• Parcel+Post Expo 2022
• Future cooperation with the UPU

 

Ep 14: Logistics, technology, and the post, with UNCTAD’s Dr Shamika Sirimanne

Dr Shamika N. Sirimanne, Director of the Division on Technology and Logistics (UNCTAD) discusses logistics, supply chain, and the role of the post in enabling cross-border trade:

• UNCTAD's mandate and how it carries out its role
• Customs automation with ASYCUDA
• Why some countries are currently benefiting from digital transformation, while others aren't
• Role of the logistics sector in stimulating digital transformation
• Impact of COVID-19 on supply chain and postal networks
• Importance of access to affordable internet access, especially in developing countries
• Industry 4.0 and global trade flows
• Using predictive AI to improve efficiencies and reduce carbon footprint
• Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) partnership, including UPU and the Customs Declaration System.
• Leveraging eTrade for All to help small businesses flourish
• Role of technology in post-pandemic recovery
• Addressing disparities in digitalisation of trade, especially in the work of UNCTAD, UPU, and other multilateral agencies
• The emerging data divide between developing nations and major multinational platforms

 

Ep 13: Global remittances with IFAD’s Pedro de Vasconcelos

Pedro de Vasconcelos, Manager of the Financing Facility for Remittances at the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), discusses the importance of international remittances to the global economy, as well as opportunities for the postal network. We discuss:

• Impact of remittances and migrant investments on the socioeconomic development of nations
• The scale of these remittance contributions globally - hint: it's in the billions!
• Continuing growth in this financial flow
• How IFAD works to financially include migrants, small business and other underserved populations via the Financing Facility for Remittances
• How remittances are put to work in recipient communities
• Financial literacy and financial inclusion, leading to financial resilience
• The challenges in ensuring affordable, accessible remittances for migrants, including factors that exclude them from the formal financial system
• Competition in financial remittances
• Concerns about security of global remittances, including crime, money laundering, and terrorism financing
• Remittances that kept communities going, even during the pandemic
• How the postal network helps and could help provide inclusive finance and remittances
• Impact of armed conflict on global remittances
• How posts can maximise their involvement and the positive impact of being part of a global remittance network
• The aims of the International Day of Family Remittances
• Remittances can serve the post - more than what many currently perceive

 

Ep 12: Rodney Taylor, Secretary General of Caribbean Telecommunications Union

Rodney Taylor, Secretary General of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, discusses digital transformation and the potential role of the post:

• The emotion of international mail
• Innovation in telecommunications and IT in Barbados
• Digital transformation's critical role in supporting peoples and governments
• Delivering government services digitally
• The CTU's role and mandate, from establishment by CARICOM through to understanding the "metaverse"
• Supporting CARICOM single market and economy through telecommunications
• Key areas of digital transformation the CTU is working on, including accessing government services online
• Opportunities for collaboration with postal operators in digital transformation
• How the pandemic fuelled innovation and development in digital transformation, and partnerships with the post
• Scope for working with other international organisations
• Trends in regional e-commerce
• Inclusion of all social groups in digital transformation
• .post top level domain and cyber security
• Raising awareness of cyber crime and cyber security, and including provisions for cyber crime and data protection in legislation
• International and cross-sector cooperation in internet and data governance