On 4 October 2023, the 4th Extraordinary Congress hosted the opening of the UPU 2023 High-Level Strategic Summit.
Masahiko Metoki, Director General of the UPU International Bureau, and Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Minister of Transport and Logistics of Saudi Arabia, delivered welcoming addresses to the UPU Congress.
The summit was moderated by Alex Taylor.
Panel 1: Strengthening the foundations: a single postal territory for economic and social growth.
The panellists prepared the situation by discussing the foundations of the postal sector:
- How can the postal sector, with its vast infrastructure, social potential and delivery capabilities, increase its relevance and continue to deliver value?
- What are the biggest challenges for postal customers (whether ordinary citizens or businesses) when it comes to the sector's core services, and how can they be addressed?
- What opportunities exist to diversify the use of this infrastructure, including to meet national social objectives in the areas of health, education and financial inclusion?
- What role do data, new technologies (e.g. blockchain, artificial intelligence, robotics) and innovative solutions (e.g. postal machines and the Internet of Things) play in making the postal sector more efficient and convenient for citizens?
- Finally, what more do governments and regulators need to ensure that the postal sector has a favorable environment to innovate and capitalize on these opportunities, and what is the UPU's role in supporting this?
The speakers for this discussion were:
- Aminata Zerbo/Sabane, Minister of Digital Transition, Post and Electronic Communications, Burkina Faso;
- Rocío Barcena Molina, CEO of Correos de México;
- Mohammed Alashram, CEO, Emirates Post Group.
What followed was an informal, interactive and informed one-on-one discussion between moderator Femi Okeke and Li Yu, a visionary from the postal sector, offering useful insights to leaders in the postal sector. They discussed the future of the sector and its role in addressing the bigger challenges facing governments and policymakers.
This was followed by ministerial statements from various UPU member countries.
The summit brought together ministers, executives and leaders from the postal sector to discuss the future of the postal sector.
The UPU 2023 Strategic Summit will continue on 5 October in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.