Postal Service An Invaluable Contributor To Economic Development

kristyCommunity Development Solutions, Wealth of Networks

POSTAL SERVICE AN INVALUABLE CONTRIBUTOR TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT  UN
New York, Oct 7 2011 4:05PM
In an era of rapid technological advancements, the post remains a vital
communication element that links people and businesses and contributes to
their economic development worldwide, the United Nations global postal
agency says.

The post is an invaluable service that continues to ensure a vital
communication link between people and businesses worldwide, said the
Universal Postal Union’s (UPU) Director-General Edouard Dayan, commemorating
World Post Day, which falls on Sunday this year.

Mr. Dayan asked people everywhere to remember the fundamental values of the
post and the numerous public services it offers to people everywhere, which
contribute to the economic development of countries.

The post remains the largest physical delivery network in the world,
processing around 400 billion letters and 6 billion parcels each year. It is
estimated that more than 80 per cent of these come from businesses
associations and government administrations, making it an important resource
for economic development.

Mr. Dayan said that in particular, the number of parcels being processed
continues to increase due to the growing popularity of e-commerce.

He also stressed that the post’s services go beyond sending letters and
parcels as postal financial institutions hold more than one billion of the
estimated five billion current and savings accounts in the retail banking
market worldwide.

These institutions offer savings and loans products to many people who
cannot easily access banking services or have low incomes, he said.

As part of the celebrations this year, the UPU organized an international
letter-writing competition, inviting young people to imagine themselves as a
tree and write a letter to someone explaining why it is important to protect
forests.

This year, the prize went to Charlée Gittens from Barbados and China’s Wang
Sa from China, who will receive their gold medals and prizes during
ceremonies being held in their respective countries.

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