Postal Union Congress


The Postal Union Congress is the main international meeting of the Universal Postal Union, used to discuss various issues affecting international postal services, such as legislation, the political climate, and other strategic issues. The first congress was held in Bern, Switzerland in 1874, and was attended by delegates from 22 countries, most of them European. The meetings are normally held every four years, although they were cancelled during the two World Wars. Extraordinary Meetings can also be called outside the four-year cycle.
Delegates are usually presented with special albums of stamps by the other participating countries, to cover the period since the previous congress.

Quadrennial Congresses

NumberYearLocationTopic
1st1874Bern, SwitzerlandSystem of base rates developed.
2nd1878Paris, FranceColour coding of postage stamps, international parcel post service proposed by Germany.
3rd1885Lisbon, PortugalReply-paid postcards authorised.
4th1891Vienna, Austria-HungaryRules about Paquebots.
5th1897Washington, D.C., United StatesCheaper international postage.
6th1906Rome, ItalyFree postage for prisoners of war.
7th1920Madrid, SpainMeter mail and window envelopes approved.
8th1924Stockholm, Sweden
9th1929London, United KingdomPostage paid franking approved, first airmail regulations.
10th1934Cairo, Egypt
11th1939Buenos Aires, ArgentinaIntroduction of Fonopost.
12th1947Paris, FranceUPU becomes the specialized agency of the United Nations.
13th1952Brussels, BelgiumApproval of Aerogrammes.
14th1957Ottawa, Canada
15th1964Vienna, Austria
16th1969Tokyo, Japan
17th1974Lausanne, Switzerland
18th1979Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
19th1984Hamburg, West Germany
20th1989Washington, D.C., United States
21st1994Seoul, South Korea
22nd1999Beijing, People's Republic of China
23rd2004Bucharest, Romania
24th2008Geneva, SwitzerlandOriginal location was Nairobi, Kenya. Postponed due to political unrest after elections in 2007.
25th2012Doha, Qatar
26th2016Istanbul, Turkey
27th2021Abidjan, Ivory CoastPostponed from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
28th2025Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Extraordinary Congresses

NumberYearLocationTopic
1st1900Bern, Switzerland25th anniversary of the UPU
2nd2018Addis Ababa, EthiopiaSustainability of the postal sector
3rd2019Geneva, SwitzerlandRemuneration of small packets
4th2023Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaOpportunities to expand membership