Voice Mail

Technology and integration are redefining the postal market. In quest of ways to diversify their services and remain competitive, posts, big and small, are forging new partnerships and adopting unconventional, high-tech solutions which help them generate new revenue streams and improve customer experience.

In October 2023, the UPU brought together seasoned postal experts and senior executives within a new format of its World Leaders Forum to get a first-hand account of this new postal reality, the solutions that work and the challenges that remain. On the sidelines of the Forum, UPU Voice Mail host, Ian Kerr, spoke to postal CEOs and UPU Consultative Committee members about the future of logistics and how public-private collaboration can make it brighter for everyone.

On this special podcast edition, Tawnee Steinke, Head of Global Strategic Partnerships at Zonos, identifies three main trends that are going to change cross-border logistics; Charles Brewer, CEO of Pos Malaysia, shares his experience of pioneering green technologies in the country and driving change in the broader market; and Mariella Buisson, CEO of Seychelles Postal Services, explains how small postal operators can use technology to become a one-stop shop for citizens.

In 2019, Austrian Post disrupted the centuries-old philatelic market with the issuance of the world’s first crypto stamps. With its unique credit card shape, particular unicorn design, and special security features, crypto stamp 1.0 was well-met by collectors, selling out within days and changing the world of philately forever.

Its association with blockchain and vague connection to cryptocurrencies, notorious for their volatility, did not let the innovation escape controversy, especially when it comes to protecting and harmonising the newly-born and rapidly growing field of digital philately.

Four years and numerous crypto stamp issues later, the UPU invited the team behind their creation – Patricia Lieberman, Head of Philately at Austrian Post, and Michael Dorner, CEO of a crypto stamp manufacturer and UPU Consultative Committee member, Stampfinity – to recount the story behind the production of the famous unicorn stamp and the challenges of introducing innovation to a highly traditional field. 

We discuss the meticulous process of finding the right product to meet market needs, the intricate technology behind crypto stamps, changes in collector demographics, and the importance of collaboration and standards for successfully revitalising the postal industry.

In Saudi Arabia, a young and ambitious country strategically positioned at the intersection of three continents, the postal sector shares the dynamism, ambition, and boldness of the nation’s Vision 2030.

In recent years, the country’s postal services have undergone profound transformations, including transferring the authority for the sector from the Ministry of Communications to the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, allowing data to take centre stage in setting postal strategy, diversifying the post into healthcare, and supporting government services for improved quality of life.

These strides do not only dramatically increase the postal value proposition to customers, making the post more relevant, but they also put Saudi Post in the spotlight as a regional leader and an interesting global success story.

The post views seizing the opportunities of digital transformation, using technology in new and creative ways, and forging forward-looking partnerships as fundamental elements in the success of its new business model.

Just a few days ahead of the historic UPU Extraordinary Congress in Riyadh, Ian Kerr spoke to H.E. Anef Abanomi, President of Saudi Post, about how the postal operator is turning into a touchpoint between government agencies, businesses and their customers, what digitalization has to do with it, and what hosting the global postal community means to the country.

The World Customs Organization (WCO) represents 185 Customs administrations that collectively process approximately 98% of world trade.

In the era of digitalization, these border authorities find themselves in the epicentre of global e-commerce, influencing the country’s economic competitiveness, defining the ability of its small businesses to reach global markets, and protecting its citizens from illicit trade.

With the level of national Customs development becoming the touchstone of overall socioeconomic performance, it is imperative to ensure that this development is speedy, harmonized and coordinated. This is where the WCO, with its mandate to build capacities and promote cooperation, comes in to fill in the gaps.

A few days ahead of the WCO-UPU Global Conference 2023, dedicated to cross-border e-commerce, Ian Kerr spoke to Dr Kunio Mikuriya, WCO Secretary-General, about the evolving role of Customs, the challenges and opportunities they have in common with the postal sector, the importance of trust for the smooth movement of goods across borders, and why cooperation, specifically with the Post, is in Customs’ DNA. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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