Universal Postal Union

an international organization, formed in Bern, Switzerland (1875), that administers and regulates international postal service. Abbr.: UPU Formerly, General Postal Union.

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▪ international postal agency

(UPU)

      specialized agency of the United Nations that aims to organize and improve postal service throughout the world and to ensure international collaboration in this area. Among the principles governing its operation as set forth in the Universal Postal Convention and the General Regulations, two of the most important were the formation of a single territory by all signatory nations for the purposes of postal communication and uniformity of postal rates and units of weight. The original agreement adopted in 1875 applied only to letter mail; other postal services, such as parcel post and international money orders, have been regulated by supplementary agreements that are binding only on signing members.

      A first attempt to establish some general principles governing international postal service was made at an international conference in Paris in 1863; previously, international postal exchange had been regulated by a plethora of bilateral agreements. At the first International Postal Congress 11 years later, representatives of 22 countries adopted the Bern Treaty, creating the General Postal Union. The union actually came into effect on July 1, 1875; the name was changed to Universal Postal Union at the second congress in 1878. In 1948 the UPU became a specialized agency of the United Nations.

      The Universal Postal Congress is the legislative body and meets every five years. The Executive Council, which consists of 40 representative countries elected by the congress, ensures the continuity of the work of the UPU and meets annually. The International Bureau is maintained at Bern and acts as a secretariat in carrying out the daily operations.

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