The Universal Postal Union (UPU) Regional Strategic Forum for Europe and Central Asia (hereinafter, the Forum) was held in Ankara, Turkiye, on 16-17 September 2024.

The purpose of the Forum was to develop proposals for the draft Universal Postal Union Strategy 2026-2029 (hereinafter referred to as the Strategy), taking into account regional needs and the views of key stakeholders in the Europe and Central Asia region - ministries, designated operators and postal regulatory authorities.

The Forum was attended by delegations of the Communications Administrations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, Turkmenistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan, representatives of RCC Postal Operators - Azerpocht, iPost, Belpochta, Kyrgyz Pochtasy, Russian Post, Uzbekiston Pochtasi and RCC Deputy Director General,Maria Bolshakova.

As part of the opening of the Forum, the participants were welcomed by:

- Abdulkadir Uraloglu, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkey;

- Hakan Gülten, Director General of the Turkish Post and Telegraph Organisation (PTT),

- Masahiko Metoki, UPU Director General.

Luis Gonzalez (Uruguay), co-chair of Committee 3 of the UPU Council of Administration (Strategy, Postal Economy and Markets), which is working to develop the Strategy, opened the Forum. A representative of the UPU International Bureau gave a presentation on the content of the first draft of the Strategy and outlined the objectives of the Forum.

During the Forum, three panel discussions were held on the UPU's three strategic objectives for the coming period, as well as a session summarising the discussions.

Thus, the first panel discussion looked in detail at Goal 1 of the proposed Strategy, which aims to maximise the use of the single postal territory through an efficient rules-based system. Discussions centred on the UPU's normative role in establishing and strengthening the global rules-based system and the underlying standards that will lead to an interconnected global postal network.

The second panel discussion revolved around strengthening the global postal ecosystem through innovation, which advises Goal 2 of the future Strategy. Discussions highlighted the UPU's commitment to improving the entire postal ecosystem by fostering innovation, embracing technological advances and promoting service diversification. Panellists discussed how the postal sector can adapt to changing market conditions, capitalise on digital infrastructure and contribute to national, regional and global development goals. Alisher Faizullaev, Director General of Uzbekistan Pochtasi (Republic of Uzbekistan), participated in this discussion on behalf of the RCC/CIS region.

In the third panel discussion on Goal 3 of the Strategy, which focused on promoting postal development through increased cooperation, special attention was paid to promoting postal services through intensified cooperation. The discussion focused on fostering cooperation, building partnerships and sharing knowledge among member countries and stakeholders to address common challenges and realise mutual benefits. The panellists also considered the importance of strengthening digital postal infrastructure, enhancing postal connectivity and ensuring inclusiveness in the global postal network. Maria Bolshakova, RCC Deputy Director General, participated in the session.

During the closing session, Siva Somasundaram, Director of Policy, Regulation and Markets at the UPU International Bureau, summarised the day-and-a-half of rich discussions and heard the positions of regional unions on the draft Strategy. The vision of the RCC countries, based on the stances of the Communications Administrations and designated postal operators of the RCC, was presented by the RCC Deputy Director General. The Association of European Postal Operators (PostEurop) and the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunication Administrations (CEPT) also presented their positions.

The positions of key stakeholders in the Europe and Central Asia region voiced during the Forum will form the basis for the UPU secretariat's finalisation of the draft Strategy, which will be presented to the November session of the UPU Council of Administration.

The Forum was closed by the Director General of the Turkish Post and Telegraph Organisation and the UPU Director General.