(Redirected from Universal mail system)
The 'Universal Postal Union' ('UPU',
French: 'Union postale universelle') is an
international organization that coordinates postal policies between member nations, and hence the world-wide
postal system. Each member country agrees to the same set of terms for conducting international postal duties. Universal Postal Union's headquarters are located in
Berne.
Prior to the establishment of the UPU, a country had to conclude a separate postal treaty with each other country that it wished to carry international mail to or from. The
United States called for an international postal congress, which was held in
1863. This led
Heinrich von Stephan,
German Minister for Posts, to found the Universal Postal Union, the second oldest international organization (after the
ITU). It was created in
1874, under the name "'General Postal Union'", as a result of the
Treaty of Berne signed on
9 October 1874. In 1878, the name was changed to "Universal Postal Union".
The UPU established that (1) there should be a more or less uniform flat rate to mail a letter anywhere in the world; (2) postal authorities should give equal treatment to foreign and domestic mail; and (3) each country should retain all monies it collected for international postage.
One of the most important results of the UPU treaty was that it ceased to be necessary, as it often had been previously, to affix the
stamps of any country through which one's letter or package would pass in transit; the UPU provides that stamps of member nations are accepted for the whole international route.
After the foundation of the
United Nations, the UPU became its specialized agency.
In 1969 the UPU introduced a new system of payment by which fees were payable between countries according to the difference in the total weight of mail between the respective countries. These fees were called terminal dues. As this affected the cost of the delivery of periodicals, the UPU devised a new "threshold" system, which was implemented in 1991.
The system sets separate letter and periodical rates for countries which receive at least 150 tonnes of mail annually. For countries with less mail, the original flat rate has been maintained. The United States has negotiated a separate terminal dues formula with thirteen
European countries that includes a rate per piece plus a rate per kilogram, and has a similar arrangement with
Canada.
The UPU also operates the system of
International Reply Coupons and addresses concerns with
ETOEs.
Philatelic activities: the Universal Postal Union, in conjunction with the World Association for the Development of Philately (WADP), has developed the WADP Numbering System (WNS), launched on 1 January 2002. The web site (www.wnsstamps.ch/en/) has entries for some 160 countries and emitting postal entities, with over 25,000 registered stamps since 2002. Many of them have images, which generally remain copyrighted by the issuing country, but which the UPU and WADP permit to be downloaded.
Member countries
The
United Nations member states may all become member countries of the UPU. The 192 United Nations member states are all UPU member countries except
Andorra,
Marshall Islands, the
Federated States of Micronesia and
Palau whose situation with regard to the UPU has not yet been settled. A non-member state of the United Nations may also become a UPU member if two-thirds of the UPU member countries approve its request.
Vatican City is a UPU member country and a non-member state observer of the United Nations (as the
Holy See).
The UPU has 191 member countries since
Timor-Leste joined on
28 November 2003 and
Montenegro on
26 July 2006, including the Dutch territories of the
Netherlands Antilles and
Aruba as a single UPU member, and the
British overseas territories, which are not independent states.
The
Republic of China joined the UPU on
1 March 1914. After the
People's Republic of China was founded, the Republic of China continued to represent China in the UPU, until the UPU decided on
13 April 1972 to recognize the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese representative. This results in
International Reply Coupons not being available for Taiwan. Mail addressed to
Taiwan will still be delivered there, albeit routed through a third country.
Various other non-recognized countries such as
Somaliland,
Sealand and the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus need to have their mail routed through third countries as the UPU will not allow direct international deliveries (Sealand's mail goes via the
UK, TRNC's mail via
Turkey, and Somaliland's mail via
Ethiopia). Other entities without direct UPU representation are the
Palestinian Authority and the
Sahrawi Republic /
Western Sahara.
The members are listed below by alphabetical order in their
ISO 3166 English names, with the date of entering the UPU (multiple entry dates for some countries). Territories covered by a sovereign member country are included under that country.
__NOTOC__
A
★ -
1 April 1928
★ -
1 March 1922
★ -
1 October 1907
★ -
1 March 1977
★ -
20 January 1994
★ -
1 April 1878
★ -
14 October 1992
★ -
1 October 1907
:
★
★ -
1 July 1875
★ -
1 April 1993
UPU members
B
★ -
24 April 1974
★ -
21 December 1973
★ -
7 February 1973
★ -
11 November 1967
★ -
13 May 1947
★ -
1 July 1875
★ -
1 October 1982
★ -
27 April 1961
★ -
7 March 1969
★ -
1 April 1886
★ -
1 July 1892;
26 January 1993
★ -
12 January 1968
★ -
15 January 1985
★ -
1 July 1877
★ -
1 July 1879
★ -
29 March 1963
★ -
6 April 1963
C
★ -
21 December 1951
★ -
26 July 1960
★ -
1 July 1878
★ -
30 September 1976
★ -
28 June 1961
★ -
23 June 1961
★ -
1 April 1881
★ -
1 March 1914[1]
:
★ -
1 April 1877
:
★
★ -
1 July 1881
★ -
29 July 1976
★
Congo, Democratic Republic of the -
1 January 1886
★
Congo, Republic of -
5 July 1961
★ -
1 January 1883
★ -
23 May 1961
★ -
20 July 1992
★ -
4 October 1902
★ -
23 November 1961
★ -
18 May 1920;
18 March 1993
D
★ -
1 July 1875
:
★
:
★
★ -
6 June 1978
★ -
31 January 1980
★ -
1 October 1880
E
★ -
1 July 1880
★ -
1 July 1875
★ -
1 April 1879
★ -
24 July 1970
★ -
19 August 1993
★ -
7 July 1922;
30 April 1992
★ -
1 November 1908
F
★ -
18 June 1971
★
Finland (including the Åland Islands) -
12 February 1918
★ -
1 January 1876
:''French Overseas Departments''
:
★
:
★ (including St Barthélémy and St Martin)
:
★
Martinique
:
★
:
★
:
★
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
:''Territories coming within the UPU's jurisdiction by virtue of article 23 of the UPU Constitution
:
★ (including Clipperton Island)
:
★
French Southern and Antarctic Lands
:
★
:
★
Wallis and Futuna
G
★ -
17 July 1961
★ -
9 October 1974
★ -
1 April 1993
★ -
1 July 1875
★ -
10 October 1957
★ -
1 July 1875
★ -
30 January 1978
★ -
1 August 1881
★ -
6 May 1959
★ -
30 May 1974
★ -
22 March 1967
H
★ -
1 July 1881
★ -
1 April 1879
★ -
1 July 1875
I
★ -
15 November 1919
★ -
1 July 1876
★ -
1 May 1877
★ -
1 September 1877
★ -
22 April 1929
★ -
6 September 1923
★ -
24 December 1949
★ -
1 July 1875
Japanese postal monument located in
Osaka, commemorating the 100th year anniversary in 1977 of its joining to UPU.
J
★ -
29 August 1963
★ -
1 June 1877
★ -
16 May 1947
K
★ -
27 August 1992
★ -
27 October 1964
★ -
14 August 1984
★
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of -
1 January 1900;
6 June 1974
★
Korea, Republic of -
1 January 1900
★ -
16 February 1960
★ -
26 January 1993
L
★ -
20 May 1952
★ -
1 October 1921;
17 June 1992
★ -
12 May 1931;
15 May 1946
★ -
6 September 1967
★ -
1 April 1879
★ -
4 June 1952
★ -
13 April 1962
★ -
1 January 1922;
10 January 1992
★ -
1 July 1875
M
★ -
12 July 1993
★ -
2 November 1961
★ -
25 October 1966
★ -
17 January 1958
★ -
15 August 1967
★ -
21 April 1961
★ -
21 May 1965
★ -
22 March 1967
★ -
29 August 1969
★ -
1 April 1879
★ -
16 November 1992
★ -
12 October 1955
★ -
24 August 1963
★ -
26 July 2006
★ -
1 October 1920
★ -
11 October 1978
★ -
4 October 1949
N
★ -
30 April 1992
★ -
17 April 1969
★ -
11 October 1956
★ -
1 July 1875
:''Netherlands Antilles and Aruba'' -
1 July 1875[2]
:
★
:
★
★ (including the
Ross Dependency) -
1 October 1907
:
★
:
★
:
★
Tokelau
★ -
1 May 1882
★ -
12 June 1961
★ -
10 July 1961
★ -
1 July 1875
O
★ -
17 August 1971
P
★ -
10 November 1947
★ -
11 June 1904
★ -
4 June 1976
★ -
1 July 1881
★ -
1 April 1879
★ -
1 January 1922
★ -
1 May 1919
★ -
1 July 1875
Q
★ -
31 January 1969
R
★ -
1 July 1875
★ -
1 July 1875
★ -
6 April 1963
S
★ -
11 January 1988
★ -
10 July 1980
★ -
3 February 1981
★ -
9 August 1989
★ -
1 July 1915
★ -
22 August 1977
★ -
1 January 1927
★ -
14 June 1961
★ -
1 July 1875;
24 December 1921;
18 June,
2001
★ -
7 October 1977
★ -
29 January 1962
★ -
8 January 1966
★ -
18 May 1920;
18 March 1993
★ -
24 December 1921;
27 August 1992
★ -
4 May 1984
★ -
1 April 1959
★ -
1 January 1893;
22 August 1994
★ -
1 July 1875
★ -
13 July 1949
★ -
28 July 1956
★ -
1 May 1877;
20 April 1976
★ -
7 November 1969
★ -
1 July 1875
★ -
1 July 1875
★ -
12 May 1931;
15 May 1946
T
★ -
9 June 1994
★ -
29 March 1963
★ -
1 July 1885
★ -
28 November 2003
★ -
21 March 1962
★ (including
Niuafo'ou) -
26 January 1972
★ -
15 June 1963
★ -
1 July 1888
★ -
1 July 1875
★ -
26 January 1993
★ -
3 February 1981
U
★ -
13 February 1964
★ -
13 May 1947
★ -
30 March 1973
★ -
1 July 1875
:'' Acceeded automatically as
Crown dependencies of the United Kingdom
:
★
:
★
:
★
:''
British overseas territories'' -
1 April 1877
:
★
:
★
:
★
:
★
:
★
:
★
:
★
:
★
:
★
:
★
:
★
::''Dependencies of St Helena
::
★
Flag of the United Kingdom
::
★
Flag of Tristan da Cunha
:
★
★ -
1 July 1875
:''Territories coming within the UPU's jurisdiction by virtue of article 23 of the UPU Constitution
:
★
:
★
:
★
:
★
:
★ (including
Saipan and
Tinian)
★ -
1 July 1880
★ -
24 February 1994
V
★ -
16 July 1982
★ -
1 June 1929
★ -
1 January 1880
★ -
20 October 1951
Y
★ -
1 January 1930
Z
★ -
22 March 1967
★ -
31 July 1981
UN member countries whose situation with regard to the UPU has not yet been settled
★
[1]
★
★
★
References
★ Codding, G.A. (1964) ''The Universal Postal Union'' New York University Press
Notes
1. Initially ''China'' was represented by the (ROC) from 1914 to 1972, before the UPU recognized the (PRC) as the only legitimate representative of ''China'' after 13 April 1972.
2. A separate member from the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
External links
★
UPU official site
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