Voice Mail

Ep 11: Anja Klug from UNHCR on refugees and the post

Anja Klug, Head of the Office for Switzerland and Liechtenstein at the UNHCR - the UN refugee agency, discusses the UNHCR's role and the role of postal networks. We discuss: 

• What the UNHCR does, and how it differs from other humanitarian organisations
• Impact of the conflict in Ukraine on refugees
• UNHCR support for refugees
• UNHCR Ukraine partnering with Ukrainian postal operator Ukposhta
• Cooperation with postal operators to offer services for internally displaced persons
• Leveraging post offices' position in the centre of communities to facilitate support services for refugees and internally displaced persons
• Offering support to vulnerable and young refugees

Ep 10: Tipti CEO Pierangela Sierra

Pierangela Sierra, founder and CEO of online shopping and delivery platform Tipti, and an e-trade women's advocate, joins us to discuss e-commerce, growth and opportunities, and encouraging women entrepreneurs: 

• Using the mail to keep in touch
• What Tipti is, and how it was created
• Mobile and internet adoption in Ecuador
• The pandemic's impact on online grocery
• Future growth in e-commerce in Ecuador and Latin America
• The role of the post in encouraging e-commerce
• Environmental impact of e-commerce delivery
• Gender equality and forging a career in Latin America
• Startups and women
• Female representation in Tipti, and empowering women
• How UNCTAD helps women and entrepreneurs

 

Ep 9: Dr Amani Abou-Zeid, African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy

Dr Armani Abou-Zeid, African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, on the importance of the post in creating infrastructure. We cover:

• The importance of postal services in Africa, including access to financial services, government services, and e-commerce
• The ubiquity of the post office network
• Access to electricity and the internet, and the challenges of postal development
• COVID's boost for digitalisation and e-commerce in Africa
• The role posts can play in achieving AU Agenda 20643 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• African Continental Free Trade Area
• Cybersecurity and trust, including data protection and child online safety
• Achieving zero emissions - the opportunities and challenges present in African nations
• Future of the postal sector in Africa, and conversations with national postal regulators
• Representation and participation of women in the postal and logistics sectors

Ep 8: Humanitarian logistics and supply chain, featuring ICRC

Sophie Gligorievic, Head of Logistics Division at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), joins us to talk about humanitarian logistics and supply chain:

• Are there differences between the humanitarian supply chain and the commercial supply chain?
• Increased pressure on supply chain, including supply chain transparency and diversity
• ERP and supply chain
• Digital transformation and logistics
• Cooperation with international and local organisations
• How ICRC and humanitarian organisations leverage local postal networks to deliver aid
• Partnerships during the pandemic
• Integrating sustainability into the supply chain and the quest for decarbonisation
• Posts collaborating with the ICRC

Ep 7: UPU Deputy Director General Pascal Clivaz

Outgoing UPU Deputy Director General Pascal Clivaz reflects on his time at the UPU and shares some pointers for the future of the postal sector:

• Corporatisation of Swiss Post
• Moving from Swiss Post's international bureau to the UPU
• Reflections on the UPU's strengths
• Opening up the UPU
• How the UPU can add value to the postal sector
• The UPU's role in arbitration
• Index for Postal Development
  • The evolution of the index
  • How the index can help developing nations formulate their postal strategy
  • Adapting business models
  • Banking and financial services and logistics
• How key stakeholders can build postal strategy
• Advice for the next generation of postal leaders
• The importance of multilateralism
• A message for the new leadership team at the UPU

 

Ep 6: USPIS Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale

USPIS Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale discusses the unique role of the US Postal Inspection Service and the contribution it makes to the postal world:

• The US Postal Inspection Service's mandate
• How the USPIS fits in with other US law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI and DEA, as well as international agencies such as Europol
• How the USPIS's relationship with the US Postal Service makes it unique
• The importance of postal security to the USPS, its customers, and the general public
• The world's dependence on the postal network
• Protecting postal people and facilities
• USPIS's various functional groups
• Major trends in postal-related crimes and threats, including employee safety, suspicious items in the mail, illegal substances in the mail, and mail fraud
• Borderless crime and cyber security - and the digitalisation of postal services
• The importance of educating the public about fraud
• The UPU Postal Security Group's role and mission
• How postal operators can advance their levels of security
• How citizens can help maintain the security of the mail system

Visit the UPU website for more information on the Postal Security Group.

Ep 5: The digital future of the postal world

In this special edition of Voice Mail, we have three perspectives on digital transformation, data, and the postal world.

 

First, UPU Deputy Director General Pascal Clivaz joins us to discuss:

• UPU and digital transformation
• Global expectations in advance electronic data
• Partnerships with IATA and WCO for cross-border
• The growing importance of parcels to the global postal network
• Increasing collaboration between the postal network and other elements of the parcels world

Then UPU Consultative Committee Chair Walter Trezek covers:

• Major outcomes from recent UPU Congress
• The importance of the UPU digital strategy
• Cross-border parcel volumes in the postal network
• What EAD/AED means for consumers, authorities, and postal operators
• UPU's role in promoting green objectives
• Opening up the UPU, its products, and its services

Finally, David Avsec from the UPU Postal Technology Centre explains aspects of Advance Electronic Data (EAD/AED):

• Why EAD is important and what it is
• Improving compliance
• Capturing quality data

 

Ep 4: Circular economy with UNIDO‘s Stephan Sicars

Stephan Sicars, Managing Director at the Directorate for Environment and Energy, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, joins us in this episode for an expert analysis of the circular economy, including:

• What does "circular economy" mean?
• How circular economy principles can help the environment.
• The costs and accessibility of the circular economy
• Best practices in circular economy
• The connection between the circular economy and peace
• Impact of the pandemic the role of the circular economy in post-COVID recovery and building resilient economies
• Global trade and supply chains
• What can the postal sector and individual postal operators do to support the shift towards circular economy?

Ep 3: Postal development in Africa and preparations for 27th Universal Postal Congress

Isaac Gnamba-Yao, CEO of La Poste Côte d'Ivoire, joins us in this episode of Voice Mail to discuss:

• Preparations for the 27th Universal Postal Congress
• Major challenges facing La Poste Côte d'Ivoire and postal operators in the region
• Postal innovations at La Poste Côte d'Ivoire
• Appealing to the digital generation
• Role of the post in socio-economic development
• Building e-commerce
• The importance of partnerships for postal operators
• Impact of the pandemic on La Poste Côte d'Ivoire
• Post office of the future

Ep 2: Cheryl Ganz on postal museums and the future of the stamp

Dr Cheryl Ganz, former curator of Philately at the Smithsonian and member of the USPS Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee, joins us in this episode of Voice Mail to discuss:

• How a childhood interest in collecting led to Cheryl becoming a stamp collector
• The role of a postal museum
• Making postal museums not just for philatelists but also for the general public
• Museums as a window into global cultures
• How Cheryl came to be Chief Curator Philately at the Smithsonian
• The renewal of the philatelic exhibit - making it into an exciting gallery
• Stamps and storytelling
• Creating a stamp exhibit that will engage with digital natives
• How philately has responded digitally to the pandemic
• Online visitors to the Smithsonian
• Future of the postage stamp
• Postage stamps and national identity and heritage
• Postmarking of stamps - importance of a proper cancellation
• Changes to postage stamps over the years
• Hunting for buried treasure - stamps hidden around the house