Member countries agreed on a series of proposals aimed at promoting faster decision-making; improving the efficiency of the Union's work and management of its resources; ensuring qualified and equitable regional distribution of member countries and enhancing the role and relevance of the Universal Postal Union.

The historic decisions are a testimony to a new era of efficiency and progress at the UN specialized agency for postal matters. Reform has been a topic of intense discussion in the past.

At the Istanbul Congress, in 2016, member countries adopted several reforms to the organization's working methods and instructed an ad hoc group of member countries under UPU's Council of Administration (CA) to further study reform measures.

Commenting on the consensus agreement, Deputy Director General, Department of External Affairs, of the State Post Bureau China and topic leader on UPU reform, Ms. Gao Hongtao, said member countries had "... .overcome differences in regions, countries and levels of development to achieve consensus."

Decisions made at the Addis Ababa Second Extraordinary Congress will reinforce UPU's role as an intergovernmental organization; formalize co-ordination between the UPU's operational body, the Postal Operations Council (POC) and CA, while also maintaining their functional separation. The agreement will also change the election procedures of the POC to ensure a simplified election mechanism and more adequate representation across regions.

Speaking about UPU at the opening of the plenary session on 3 September, the UPU

Director General said, "The decisions you will take this week will have a big effect on the future of our Union. I have seen very positive spirit as we have been

preparing for this Congress. Let us be guided by the same spirit and take the right

decisions that will take this Union to the next level."

UPU Headquarters