Mail and parcel volumes keep rising, UN agency says on World Post Day

Domestic and international mail and parcel volumes continue to grow, despite predictions that they would decline because of the advance of electronic commerce, the United Nations postal agency says today as it observes the annual World Post Day.

Some 6.5 billion items were sent last year, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) said in a press release issued at its headquarters in Berne, Switzerland.

Domestic parcel volumes increased by nearly 8 per cent while international volumes rose by 1 per cent, a result the UPU said could be connected to e-commerce, with the majority of online purchases still remaining within borders.

In his message for the annual event, UPU Director General Edouard Dayan acknowledged postal services’ contribution to economic and social development.

“Owing to their universality, postal services provide a link between people all over the globe. This is especially important at a time when millions of people do not enjoy the right to communication,” Mr. Dayan said. “In a constantly changing world, postal services make it possible to establish and maintain this contact and this link, both of which are vital.”

Latin America experienced the highest regional increase in overall domestic and international parcel volumes in 2007, while the largest increase in letters was seen in Arab countries.

For the last 60 years UPU has worked to promote the development of postal markets, ensuring the interconnection of its 191 member countries’ networks and setting the rules for international mail exchanges.

Achievements already made in 2008 by the UN organization include establishing an agreement for direct mail exchanges between the Israeli and Palestinian Authority and UPU member countries, and also adopting a four-year road map that emphasizes the key role played by the postal sector in the world’s economy.