The Australian Government and Australia Post last week announced a new Pacific Postal Development Partnership to strengthen postal services in the Pacific by signing a joint declaration with the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and Asian-Pacific Postal Union (APPU).

Announced in Bangkok on the sidelines of the 13th APPU Congress, the partnership will improve the efficiency and security of postal services between Australia and Pacific island countries, benefiting consumers and businesses, including the estimated 200,000 people living in Australia with Pacific Island heritage.

To support the three-year partnership, the Government has provided Australia Post with a $450,000 contribution to target improvements to postal systems, processes, technology and training in the region.

This funding will be supplemented by Australia Post’s expertise and in-kind support, including equipment that can help meet the needs of Pacific postal operators.

Today’s signing of this landmark joint declaration both brings Australia closer together with key multilateral institutions in the postal sector and aligns our respective efforts.

The declaration will enable a coordinated approach to regional postal development, supporting Pacific island countries to continue to modernise their postal services, capture emerging opportunities and new markets, and showcase the value of the region’s postal sector globally.

The declaration will be signed by Australia’s Ambassador to Thailand, Dr Angela Macdonald PSM, Australia Post’s General Manager for International Services, Mr Michael Cope, the Director-General of the UPU, Mr Masahiko Metoki, and the Secretary General of the APPU, Mr Lin Hongliang.

Postal services in the Pacific are some of the most under-developed as measured by the UPU’s Postal Development Index. This impacts businesses and consumers through slower average delivery times, disruption and delays.

With the ongoing digitisation of the global economy, further investments will boost the ability of Pacific island countries to capture new market opportunities and meet consumer expectations to deliver secure, timely and efficient postal services.

The Government and Australia Post will work with Pacific postal operators and governments to identify specific activities to be delivered to meet their individual needs. The first activities are expected to commence by the end of 2022.

This partnership builds on Australia Post’s annual contribution of over $1.3 million to the Universal Postal Union to support global postal cooperation, and additional contributions such as a four-year commitment to further the global postal sector’s response to climate change.