A Word from the Chairman

Dan G. Blair

Chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission

I am pleased to join Postmaster General John Potter of the U.S. Postal Service for the 24th Universal Postal Union (UPU) Congress held this summer in Geneva, Switzerland. I will serve as a Deputy Head of a multi-agency U.S. delegation led by the U.S. Department of State, which includes representatives of the Postal Regulatory Commission, U.S. Postal Service, Department of Commerce, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It will be an honor to share with UPU member countries the Commission’s perspective on our most recent postal reform legislation.

The UPU is the United Nations’ specialized agency that facilitates the exchange of international mail worldwide – an industry with revenues of over $2 billion in the United States. The UPU Congress, which convenes every four years, is the supreme authority of the Union which brings together high-level postal stakeholders of all 191 member countries. The Congress reviews and revises the UPU Acts; sets the budget; develops a four-year strategic plan; and elects the Director General, Deputy Director General, and members of the Union's two governing bodies, the Council of Administration (CA) and the Postal Operations Council (POC).

The United States has been an active member of the UPU since its founding in 1874. In recent years, members of the U.S. delegation have served successfully as POC Chairman and provided leadership on issues such as performance measurement, strategic planning, technical standards, Express Mail Service (EMS), and the establishment of the UPU's Consultative Committee for private sector stakeholders, to name a few. By law, the Secretary of State must seek the Commission’s view on whether any international convention or treaty that establishes a rate or classification is consistent with our system of ratemaking.

My prepared remarks before the UPU Congress will be posted on the Commission's website on July 25.

Sincerely,

Dan G. Blair
Chairman

Read more about Chairman Blair.

Chairman Blair addresses UPU Congress in Geneva, Switzerland.

Chairman Blair in working session of UPU Congress.