Ukraine has been elected a member of the Administrative Council and the Postal Operations Council of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) during the 28th Universal Postal Congress in Dubai (UAE). The Ukrainian delegation, led by Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development Andriy Bratus and including representatives of the ministry and the national postal operator Ukrposhta, took part in the Congress. The event also held elections for the UPU leadership — Director General, Deputy Director General, and new members of the Union’s key governing bodies.
“These are important decisions and results for our country and for tens of thousands of postal workers at home. Ukraine’s election to the UPU governing bodies is recognition and support of those who carry out their duties every day under difficult conditions — under shelling, power outages, and constant security threats. Their resilience ensures that not only mail, but also the sense of connection and hope, reaches its destination. We are also grateful to all countries that have consistently supported Ukraine’s postal sector since the start of the full-scale invasion. Together we uphold the values of the Union. Together we show that postal networks are not just infrastructure, but vital lifelines,” said Deputy Prime Minister for Recovery and Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine Oleksii Kuleba.
Speaking before the Congress participants, Andriy Bratus stressed that the UPU was created to organize and improve postal services worldwide and to foster international cooperation in this vital sector. However, today one of the UPU members acts in direct violation of these principles.
“Russia systematically destroys Ukraine’s postal infrastructure, blatantly ignoring the UPU’s goals and international law. More than 1,600 post offices have been damaged or destroyed; dozens of employees have been killed. Just last week, during the shelling of a postal van in the village of Yarova, Donetsk region, 25 civilians were killed and 18 injured, including a postal worker. These are not isolated incidents but a deliberate attempt to destroy basic services for people. Yet the postal sector endures — Ukrposhta and other operators deliver medicines and essential goods, and the national operator also pays pensions, even in frontline areas. We thank all countries supporting Ukraine. Together we prove that mail is not only about delivery but about life, connection, and hope for millions,” Bratus emphasized.
The Deputy Minister separately thanked Denmark’s delegation, which initiated — and 32 countries that joined — a joint statement in support of Ukraine and against electing Russia and Belarus to key UPU bodies. The statement says that a country that has launched an illegal war of aggression against another UPU member, flagrantly violating international law and the UN Charter, and a country complicit in that war, cannot be elected to leadership positions in any UPU working body.
This year’s Congress also focused on:
- modernization of postal products, improving service quality and compensation amid growing e-commerce;
- strengthening the role of the postal sector as a provider of inclusive services;
- ensuring postal network resilience;
- increasing UPU’s regional support for developing countries.
The Universal Postal Congress is the supreme governing body of the Universal Postal Union — a specialized UN agency responsible for the postal sector. It convenes every four years to set the strategy and international rules for the global postal network.
The 28th Congress is taking place in Dubai from 8 to 19 September 2025, with delegates from 192 member countries.
The Postal Operations Council consists of 48 member countries. Its work focuses on helping postal services modernize and improve the quality of their services and products, covering operational, economic, and commercial aspects of the postal sector.
