Updated: 1 September 2026
Universal Postal Union (UPU): Members, Organs, Standards and Functions
The Universal Postal Union (UPU) is the United Nations specialized agency responsible for international postal cooperation. Established in 1874 and headquartered in Berne, Switzerland, it is the primary forum for cooperation among postal-sector stakeholders and helps maintain a universal network for international mail, parcels, postal financial services and related digital and e-commerce services.
History of the Universal Postal Union
The UPU was not established in 1857. Its origin is the international postal conference convened in Berne, Switzerland, in September 1874. Representatives of 22 countries signed the Treaty of Bern on 9 October 1874, creating the General Postal Union. Rapid growth in membership led to the name being changed to the Universal Postal Union in 1878.
The 1874 treaty created a single postal territory for reciprocal international mail exchanges and replaced a fragmented network of bilateral arrangements with common rules. The UPU describes itself as the second-oldest international organization worldwide.
The UPU became a specialized agency of the United Nations on 1 July 1948 and has since cooperated with the wider UN system while retaining its own Constitution, Acts and governing bodies.
Purpose and functions of the UPU
International postal rules
Develops the legal and operational framework governing international postal exchanges between member countries and designated operators.
Universal postal network
Supports a single interconnected postal territory and promotes efficient, accessible and modern international postal services.
Technical standards
Develops standards and recommendations for data exchange, addressing, identifiers, mail processing, interoperability and other operational processes.
Technical cooperation
Provides technical assistance, capacity development and regional cooperation to strengthen postal services, particularly in developing countries.
E-commerce and trade
Supports the role of postal networks in cross-border e-commerce, customs processes, digital services and trade facilitation.
Quality and modernization
Promotes service quality, modernization, digital transformation, postal financial inclusion and more sustainable postal operations.
The four bodies of the UPU
| Body | Composition and function |
|---|---|
| Congress | The supreme authority of the UPU. Congress normally meets every four years to revise the Acts of the Union, set policy and strategy, elect the Director General and Deputy Director General, and elect members of the Council of Administration and Postal Operations Council. The 28th Congress was held in Dubai in September 2025. |
| Council of Administration (CA) | Consists of 41 member countries and meets annually at UPU headquarters. It ensures continuity between Congresses, supervises UPU activities and studies regulatory, administrative, legislative and legal questions. For the 2026-2029 cycle, the United Arab Emirates chairs the CA. |
| Postal Operations Council (POC) | The UPU's technical and operational body, consisting of 48 member countries elected during Congress. It works on operational, economic and commercial aspects of the postal business and develops recommendations and standards. France, represented by Jean-Paul Forceville, chairs the POC for 2026-2029. |
| International Bureau | The permanent secretariat of the UPU in Berne. It provides logistical, technical, legal, administrative and policy support, acts as an information and liaison centre and supports implementation of Congress and council decisions. |
UPU Strategy 2026-2029: Dubai cycle
The UPU Strategy 2026-2029 was adopted by the Union's 192 member countries at the 28th Universal Postal Congress in Dubai. It responds to digitalization, e-commerce, changing customer expectations and rapid technological change across the postal sector.
The strategy is built around three goals:
Goal 1: Rules-based postal system
Leverage the single postal territory through an effective rules-based system and modern regulatory framework.
Goal 2: Innovation, communication and trade
Strengthen the global postal ecosystem through innovation that facilitates communication, e-commerce and international trade.
Goal 3: Postal development
Enable postal development through stronger cooperation, regionalization, capacity building and support for member countries.
Overall vision
Build an interconnected, inclusive and sustainable society empowered by a seamless and innovative postal network.
UPU postal standards
UPU technical standards help postal operators and other postal-sector participants exchange data and mail consistently across national borders. Standards cover areas such as electronic data interchange, postal identifiers, barcodes, addressing, forms, mail receptacles, security data and other operational and technological processes.
The Postal Operations Council plays a central role in developing recommendations and standards where uniform international practices are needed. The International Bureau's postal-operations structure also supports standards, certification, compliance, quality of service and addressing solutions.
Because UPU standards are periodically revised, current official standards publications should be used rather than relying on historical specifications.
UPU membership
The UPU currently has 192 member countries. Any member country of the United Nations may become a member of the UPU through the constitutional accession procedure.
A sovereign country that is not a member of the United Nations may apply for admission. Under the UPU Constitution, the application must be approved by at least two-thirds of the UPU's member countries. This approval is by UPU member countries, not by a two-thirds vote of the UN General Assembly.
UPU and international philately
The UPU has also played an important role in international philately and postal security. In cooperation with the World Association for the Development of Philately (WADP), it developed the WADP Numbering System for postage stamps, launched in 2002 to provide a standardized identification framework for legitimate postage-stamp issues.
Historical UPU regulations also promoted greater uniformity in international postal operations and stamp use. Some historical colour and format practices are no longer suitable as current operational rules and should be treated as postal-history information rather than present-day mandatory standards.
Official UPU sources
For authoritative current information refer to About the UPU, Member Countries, UPU Bodies, UPU Strategy, Director General and UPU Standards.
Note: leadership, council composition, standards and strategy cycles change over time. This page reflects official UPU information available as of 1 September 2026.