UPU Universal Postal Union
1. Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, has the governing body of your organization taken (or will it take) any decisions or new strategies to guide the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs? If any, please provide a brief summary below, including the overarching vision of your organization.
As a specialized agency of the UN system, the UPU is fully committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. As clearly outlined in the Istanbul World Postal Strategy (2017-2020), approved by the 26th UPU Congress in 2016, the organization is expected to support its member countries in efforts to implement the UN SDGs; it does so by analyzing the contributions made by the postal sector and the UPU to the achievement of these goals and by affecting capacity building projects in the field to improve the capability of the important national infrastructure to support universal social and economic growth. This is fully in line with the organization's vision, which is to ensure that the
2.5 Others:
1. The UPU International Bureau has been reorganized to include a programme dedicated to UN Policies, which includes coordination of the activities in the UPU related to the SDGs.
2. In order to ensure that it can measure thestrategic goals as mention in #1, a dedicated measurement framework has been developed. It involves data collection on the implementation of the different SDG goals, targets and indicators that are applicable to the postal sector. Based on the available data, the UPU will assess the degree to which each country's postal sector is contributing to the achievement of the UN SDGs. This will be done by conducting an analysis that is both quantitative and qualitative.
The quantitative part of the analysis will consist in comparing the performance of each country in the Integrated Index for Postal Development (2IPD), in the UN SDG indicators and in other benchmarks (EoB and LPI). Any positive residuals will indicate outperformance.
The qualitative part of the analysis will consist in collecting and assessing case studies of SDG projects in the postal sector.
Data input for this part will be channeled through the work of various Committees of the UPU's Council of Administration, leading to a final report to be approved by the Plenary of this governance body. In this report, all countries whose postal sectors outperform measurement benchmarks from both a qualitative and quantitative perspective will be labelled as "SDG Champions".
3.8 Others:
The cooperation and development function of the UPU provides technical assistance and capacity building to countries. The cooperation reflects a vision integrating development strategies at the global, regional and national levels. Global priorities were defined during the 2016 UPU Congress, with a priority on improving operational efficiency and the development of e-commerce.
The UPU regional Development Plans (RDP) define actions and engagements with stakeholder groups at the country and regional level. RDP have been approved for each of the 6 UPU regions, with specific projects focusing on capacity building in Financial Inclusion, Digital transformation and diversification and Operational Efficiency for E-commerce.
Technical assistance to governments in two countries (Tunisia and Morocco) towards reducing the export frictions for MSME by empowering the universal postal network to support MSME across the country - directly contributing to SDG 17.11.
Moreover, beyond the cooperation and development function, the UPU conducts a number of projects in areas which support the ability of countries to achieve SDG-relevant goals.
Climate change
UPU provides postal operators in all its 192 member countries with access to a free tool and technical support to measure and analyse their climate impact. UPU also provides support, best practice exchange and capacity building on sustainability to its member countries and postal operators worldwide, including knowledge sharing on climate mitigation. In addition, UPU provides technical assistance and capacity building to its member countries on disaster risk reduction and preparedness.
The UPU participates in UN Environment
Financial inclusion: activities of the UPU linked to the relevant SDGs
Financial inclusion as a key tool for poverty reduction and sustainable economic growth
According to the 2014 Global Findex, 2 billion adults worldwide do not have access to formal financial services. Groups of people that are the most financially excluded include the poor, people out of a job (unemployed or retired), or women. Yet access to formal financial services is a key lever for socio-economic development, as recognized in six of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, and 10). When confronted with a life shock (illness, accident, natural disaster, etc.), access to insurance, savings, or remittance services can be the difference between resilience or sinking below the poverty line. Similarly, easy access to various payment services or to loans can help empower people, create livelihoods including though small businesses, which can then lead to increased wealth and job creation in their community.
Posts have traditionally been strong financial inclusion contributors and remain so. As shown in the 2016 UPU Global panorama of postal financial inclusion, Posts are the second biggest contributor to financial inclusion worldwide, after banks, but "far ahead of microfinance institutions, money-transfer organizations, cooperatives, insurance companies, mobile money operators and all other providers of financial services".
Indeed, 1 billion people worldwide in 87 countries hold a total of 2 billion payment or savings accounts at Posts. Furthermore, 183 Posts - or 91% of all Posts - offer at least one type of financial service. As such, apart from the 1 billion account holders, an estimated 500 million additional people worldwide access payment services such as remittances or government payments through a post office.
Link to the 2016 Global panorama: http://www.upu.int/uploads/tx_sbdownloader/globalPanoramaOnPostalFinancialInclusion2016En.pdf
But these massive numbers are not the only reason why Posts are so important to financial inclusion. It is also that Posts, as institutions typically with public good missions, have a mandate to address the needs of all populations, and not just the urban, the well-off, or the more educated. Two recent studies led by UN Women and the UPU, and by the World Bank and the UPU, support that statement. They show that Posts are comparatively better than other financial institutions in banking segments of the population that tend to be excluded, such as women, the poor, the less educated and those in the informal economy.
If we add to this the extensive physical network of Posts - more than 660,000 locations worldwide, present in rural areas as much as urban areas ¬- and the trust factor from which a large number of Posts benefit, we realize that Posts are in fact uniquely positioned to advance financial inclusion.
In a study published in 2013 with the World Bank, ("Financial Inclusion and the Role of the Post Office") looks at the profile of people that are using financial services offered by Post. It clearly concludes that compared to banks, Posts have a much larger proportion of clients that are usually in the most financially excluded categories of population, such as the poor or those in the informal economy.
Posts as a driver for women economic empowerment through financial inclusion
The access to financial services for women is widely recognized as a key driver for women's economic empowerment. A joint study led by UNWomen and the UPU demonstrates the non-discriminatory nature of Posts in the provision of financial services. Greater financial inclusion of women is a win-win development strategy with the potential to positively impact growth and human development as well as women's social and economic empowerment. The joint UNWomen/UPU study demonstrates that postal services have a vital role to play in this process and a positive and measurable impact.
On average, in developing countries, postal financial institutions (postal banks or postal savings banks) have twice as many female customers as other financial institutions. This phenomenon is even more marked in rural areas.
Link to the study:
http://www.upu.int/uploads/tx_sbdownloader/genderAndFinancialInclusionThroughThePostEn.pdf
Expanding the access to insurance services through the postal networks
Insurance is one of four pillars of financial inclusion. Insurance products can make a significant positive difference in the lives of vulnerable individuals by helping households mitigate shocks and improve the management of expenses related to unforeseen events such as medical emergencies, a death in the family, theft or natural disasters. However, there is a persistent insurance gap, particularly in developing countries.
A joint study conducted by the UPU and the International Labor organization (ILO's Impact Insurance Facility) demonstrates how Posts can serve as an inclusive distribution channel for insurance products to excluded populations in developing countries.
Link to the study: http://www.upu.int/uploads/tx_sbdownloader/advancingFinancialInclusionThroughAccessToInsuranceTheRoleOfPostalNetworksEn.pdf
Lowering the cost of remittances for migrants
In the early 2000s, the UPU developed the International Financial System (IFS), a money transfer tool that it makes available to Posts. In accordance with Sustainable Development Goal 10c, which is to reduce to less than 3% the transaction costs of migrant remittances by 2030, the UPU helps Posts offer their customers secure and affordable services. Over 80 Posts currently use IFS, which was updated in 2013 for use on mobile devices and which can be man¬aged remotely via cloud computing for Posts that do not have sufficient technical capacity.
According to the World Bank, post offices are the world's cheapest providers of remittance services. Posts have already reached the 5X5 objective, with an average cost of about 4%. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, if all remittances were channelled through post offices at that cost, migrants and their families could save up to 3.2 billion USD a year. A project led by the UPU and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in the rural areas of six West African countries between 2008 and 2010, showed that connecting rural post offices had a strong impact on costs for customers, with prices going down by 30 to 50% in the region as a consequence of the project.
UPU's endeavor in leveraging postal networks to advance financial inclusion
In parallel to this operational and regulatory work in the field of money transfers, the UPU has also been implementing since 2008 a series of activities in the field of financial inclusion. Most of this was scaled up starting in 2011, with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The UPU's financial inclusion agenda can be divided in three complementary pillars:
• Research: the UPU, on its own or in partnership with other institutions, has led extensive research activities on the contribution of Posts to financial inclusion. Those researches clearly demonstrates the role Posts play a very important roel in providing financial services to the populations excluded from the formal financial services markets ( women, poor, rural populations)
• Advocacy and partnerships: The UPU is leading a series of activities years to ensure that the postal sector was recognized as a valuable contributor to financial inclusion and has built strategic partnerships with a number of UN (World Bank, the International Labour Organization, the International Telecommunication Union, UN Women), and non UN organizations (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, CGAP) and private sector companies. Those partners are increasingly recognizing Posts as valuable partners to advance financial inclusion.
• Technical Assistance (TA):
UPU TA has been provided on the following topics:
- Assistance to Posts to design new business models;
- Assistance to Central Banks to help them better understand the scope of financial services offered by Posts and the different models of regulations;
- Assistance to Posts for the establishment of partnerships with mobile money operators or banks;
- Design and launch of new digital financial services.
In parallel, the UPU is conducting country-level specific projects with other partners, which link financial inclusion through the post and local economic development. This is the case for example in Burundi, where a joint project with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is currently being implemented.
4.1 Supporting the intergovernmental body of your organization in contributing to the thematic review of the HLPF:
Yes, see example provided below regarding the contribution of ICTs to the implementation of the SDGs.
5. How has your organization cooperated with other UN system organizations to achieve coherence and synergies in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs? In this regard, has your organization launched or intend to launch any joint programmes or projects in collaboration with other UN entities? Are there any results or lessons you would like to highlight that might help improve the design and impact of such efforts? Has your organization participated in any of the following coordination systemwide mechanisms or any other relevant platform - CEB, UNDG, EC-ESA Plus, RCMs, UN-Energy, UN-Water, UN-Ocean, IAEG, IATT? Please specify which and indicate any suggestions you may have about improving collaborations within and across these mechanisms/platforms:
In addition to its own measurement framework, the UPU also takes part in a number of collaborations with other UN agencies for matters that can have an impact on UN SDG measurement.
For instance, partnerships with statistical offices of other organizations such as UNCTAD, WTO, OECD, WCO, ICAO and the World Bank have been sought with the aim of improving the data and insights associated with infrastructure and electronic services (pertinent to Goal 9 of the UN SDGs). UPU also works in partnership with WMO on issues relating to environment, climate and resilience. UPU is an active contributor to Sustainable United Nations, through which we collaborate with other UN agencies on coherent environmental strategies and their implementation.
In a report organized by the ITU and launched at the High-level Policy Forum (HLPF) held in New York from 10 to 19 July 2017 , UN agencies recognized that information and communication technologies (ICTs) constituted both a risk and an opportunity in terms of achieving the UN SDGs. The UPU contributed to this report with a thought piece that showed how the organization, as a unique knowledge centre for the postal sector, can leverage information and communication technologies (ICTs) in order to collect, share and analyze data that supports development policies.
As an example of this expertise, the UPU highlighted the work done in the context of the UPU-UN Global Pulse partnership, which revealed that by leveraging ICTs, the UPU's big data was able to generate reliable social and economic development indicators, even in cases of patchy macroeconomic data (e.g. where local statistical capabilities are weak). This data is invaluable for policymakers, donors, fundraisers, project managers and all key stakeholders in the technical cooperation arena who are eager to measure the potential and actual impact of projects in the field.
Another example is the UPU's leadership role in a workstream of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), coordinating Action Line C7 (e-business) with UNCTAD and the International Trade Centre (ITC). A full report of the progress made in the implementation of the outcomes of WSIS is published every year by the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development.
During the WSIS Forum in May 2017, the UPU promoted the contribution of the postal network and of UPU projects (e.g. ECOMPRO and the Easy Export Programme) in enabling SMEs to actively use e-commerce and better leverage the digital economy, so as to meet SDG target 17.11 on export growth in least developed countries and other developing countries. In addition, during the 2016 WSIS Forum, the UPU organized a thematic workshop entitled "Innovations and reflections on how the postal network can ensure the global reach of digital services to better serve citizens". At the workshop, governments, regulators and other industry stakeholders from Botswana, Ireland, Morocco, Paraguay and Tunisia discussed the need to innovate using existing networks and capabilities in their countries.
In 2017, the UPU's postal network statistics were again integrated into the UN global e-commerce readiness index. The report published annually by UNCTAD identifies key recommendations for policymakers on the development of e-commerce, involving universal postal delivery infrastructures, the need for a national addressing system, the availability of alternative payment solutions, and the increased efficiency of cross-border e-commerce through postal supply chain improvements.
The UPU is a founding member along with many other UN organisations of the multi-stakeholder partnership "eTrade-for-all", launched in 2016. The eTrade for all initiative aims at addressing existing knowledge gaps and maximizing synergies between beneficiary countries, partners and donors so everyone can get more from e-Trade. Effective development of e-commerce requires cross-sectoral and cross-institutional approaches, making collaboration essential. Therefore eTrade for all partners include international organizations, regional development banks, national agencies as well as representatives from the private sector. This has a direct impact on SDG 17.9: Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the sustainable development goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation.
The UPU is cooperating with other UN Organizations in the field of financial inclusion and the reduction of cost for international remittances (World Bank, ITU, IFAD, IOM). Those country-led projects have a direct impact on the cost of remittances for migrants which is one the target under SDG 8 ( 10.c By 2030, reduce to less than 3 per cent the transaction costs of migrant remittances and eliminate remittance corridors with costs higher than 5 per cent). When the posts enter the market of remittances with its own product or UPU product: costs of remittances are reduced by the other market players. Currently a joint project with the International Organization for Migration is being implemented in Burundi, which aims at reducing the costs of remittances for the diaspora and increase the level of financial inclusion of the families in the country of origin. (See response to question 6 for more details).
6. How has your organization engaged with stakeholder groups, both in supporting implementation at the country, regional and global levels, and within your own organization? If yes, please provide main highlights, including any lessons learned:
Engagement with private sector stakeholders - Financial inclusion:
The UPU has developed a technical assistance scheme with the support of external stakeholders (VISA and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) for the implementation of financial inclusion projects through digital financial services at country level.
Engagement with private sector and other postal stakeholders groups:
Through its Consultative Committee which gathers the postal stakeholders at large (Clients, Workers Unions, industry groups, NGOs etc) the UPU is promoting the implementation of the relevant SDGs in line with the organization's strategy in the fields of trade facilitation and ecommerce in developing countries.
In addition, it should be noted that a number of Posts and private operators have integrated the SDGs in their strategies as a part of their CSR policies.
7. Has your organization organized any conferences, forums or events designed to facilitate exchange of experience, peer and mutual learning? If yes, please provide a brief summary below and include lessons learned and gaps identified based on the outcomes of these events. Please also include any events you plan to organize in the coming years.
The UPU organized its Ministerial Conference as part of the 26th Universal Postal Congress in Istanbul, Turkey in 2016. Guided by the theme "Delivering sustainable development: Connecting citizens, businesses and territories," ministers' discussions reaffirmed the Post's role as a driver of global development. More than 50 ministers in charge of the postal sector gathered for the conference.
Indeed, for almost every one of the SDGs, postal networks around the globe are already providing solutions - either alone or in partnership with others sectors and networks. Fostering social and financial inclusion, facilitating trade and commerce, and delivering innovation and the information society to all are the key areas of the postal contribution to this world agenda for development. These areas of focus underline governments' priorities and are also indicators for governmental investment and policy, and for international development partners and donors.
The discussion at the 2016 Ministerial Conference centered on inclusion, trade and the digital economy, since these were considered the three main drivers of national development that the Post is involved in delivering with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Panelists considered for instance the Post's far-reaching network to drive social and financial inclusion. One example put forward was Kenya's Huduma Centre concept, where citizens in remote areas can access vital government services through the extensive postal network in the country.
Ministers also lauded the role of the Post in facilitating global trade, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), who often find it difficult to export their goods.
Furthermore, speakers noted the important role played by the Post's physical network in connecting customers to the digital world and facilitating the transition to serving a new, younger market. They also pointed out that the Post collects data in key areas, such as communications, logistics, transport and finance, which could also be used to better serve customers.
Financial inclusion
In 2017, the UPU organized 4 regional conferences gathering more than 70 countries with the objectives of promoting its technical assistance programme (FITAF) among its members countries and creating a platform of exchanges of experiences with private sector operators in the space of digital financial services. The objectives of the UPU Financial Inclusion Technical Assistance Facility (FITAF) technical assistance is to support UPU member countries in implementing digital financial services and improve he access to financial services to unbanked populations in 20 countries by 2020.
8. Is there any other information you would like to share, including annual reports of your organization and any impact assessment or evaluation reports? If yes, please use the space below and attach the document(s). Please also use this space to provide any other information, comments or remarks you deem necessary:
The next UPU SDG annual report is going to be available as of April 2018.
But there are also other topical reports which can be relevant for future reference, e.g.:
- Integrated Index for Postal Development (2IPD): http://www.upu.int/en/the-upu/strategy/2ipd.html
- International Telecommunication Union (2017), Fast forward progress: leveraging tech to achieve the global goals, available online: http://www.itu.int/en/sustainable-world/Pages/report-hlpf-2017.aspx
- Global Panorama on Financial Inclusion: http://www.upu.int/uploads/tx_sbdownloader/globalPanoramaOnPostalFinancialInclusion2016En.pdf
- Measuring Postal E-Services - a global perspective http://www.upu.int/uploads/tx_sbdownloader/studyPostalEservicesEn.pdf
9. In your view, what should a strategic plan for the UN system in support of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs look like? What key elements should it include and major challenges address in such a road map?
The main challenge faced by UN-System organizations in aligning their actions to the SDGs is the missing link between, on the one hand, the goals, targets and indicators that constitute the SDG measurement framework and, on the other hand, the specific quantitative impact of the activities of these organizations.
Indeed, many organizations may struggle to identify to what extent their specific projects in the field have enabled the indicator X to move from value Y to Z in country A. In this sense, whenever positive movements in the value of the indicator are observed, these organizations may simply assume that their activities (or those of national governments) have contributed to the overall impact, without any specific quantitative backing.
Therefore, when drafting their new strategies and whenever possible, it is advisable that, beyond conducting mere SDG mapping (focusing on topics covered), UN organizations define quantitative key performance indicators that express the specific expected impacts of their actions in terms of SDGs.
10. Please indicate one or two endeavor or initiatives you suggest that the UN system organizations could undertake together to support the implementation of the SDGs between now and 2030:
Looking at how to better implement the SDGs, a specific initiative to focus on how the specialized agencies, with their specific industry stakeholders at the national level (eg. UPU - postal sector, WMO - meteorological, ITU - telecoms, FAO - Agricultural) can be leveraged as implementation partners for UN system policies and projects of the 2030 agenda. Eg. SDG 16.9 - by 2030 provide legal identity for all. The UPU could mobilize its industry stakeholders and their networks of over 650,000 post office locations.in rural and remote communities to service ID delivery infrastructures developed by other UN system or specialized agencies.
Implementation at country level: need for a better coordination between UN organizations
As a non-resident agency (NRÀ), the UPU faces many challenges in the implementation of SDG related projects and activities at country level. A better coordination at country level with the resident agencies and the other UN entities present on the ground would be beneficial in term of impacts. NRAs should be more taken into account in the country level processes.