English pdf 4.95 mb - UPU - Universal Postal Union

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The Post was one of the first sectorsto be affected by globalization.© Photo The Post SwissLocal access toglobal markets · Union Postale 1/2008
The postal sector promotes trade, making it an importantdriver of the global economy. More specifically,postal sector players are the preferred logistics providersof micro and small businesses, in both developingand industrialized countries.ByLaurent WidmerArmed with a computer, an Internet connection, a camera,and plenty of entrepreneurial spirit, Léontine Diouf’srecent initiative is enabling small traders from variousmarkets in Dakar (Senegal) to participate in world trade,selling traditional scarves, sculptures, shoes and otheritems, via her www.shopduweb.com website. Most ofthe customers are based in Senegal, but they also comefrom abroad. “We only have a small number of customers,but I negotiate prices for them, collect the money bymoney order and then send them their purchases bypost,” explains Diouf.Her small business has opened up a vast internationalsupermarket in which these traders can sell their handicrafts.A shop window on the Web does not cost much,and it can be run from just about anywhere in the world,provided there is an Internet connection, a payment solutionand a logistics service for dispatching the goods.Thanks to technological progress and the Internet, themarket is open all hours to millions of web surfers.And far from being left behind in this rapidly changingenvironment, postal operators, often the most suitablelogistics providers for the small dispatcher, are benefitingfrom the new volumes generated by this type of commerce.“The Post has close links with Customs,” pointsout Michael Taillie, who has just signed a three-yearagreement between his New Zealand business promotioncompany and the Post. “We have chosen the Post as apartner because it is the simplest and most economicaldispatch solution for us. And as New Zealand Post is aUPU member, we have access to the whole of the internationalmarket.”The physical InternetWith 660,000 post offices covering just about all cornersof the earth, the postal network is one of the world’s biggestphysical networks, and its economic importance isconsiderable. The postal services of the European Unioncountries have a turnover of some 88 billion EUR, or 1%of the Community’s gross domestic product (GDP). InGhana, the transport sector represents 9% of the GDP,and is of strategic importance to the country’s economy.The logistics sector, also called the “physical Internet”, isa key determinant of a country’s competitiveness. Accordingto the Performance Index published by the WorldBank at the end of 2007, “Success in integrating globalsupply chains starts with the ability of firms to movegoods across borders rapidly, reliably and cheaply. But forthe poorly connected, the costs of exclusion are considerableand growing, and the risks of missed opportunitiesloom large, especially for the poorest landlockedcountries, many of them in Africa.”“Without the Post, our business would not exist”By providing the universal service, postal operators offerlogistics solutions to businesses both small and large.They give them local access to a global network, playinga key role in the economy at the regional, national, andeven international level. “Without the Post and the qual-1/2008 Union Postale ·
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Page 18 and 19: Letter-writinglives onIs the person
Page 20 and 21: A letter is…Proof of authenticity
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Page 26 and 27: However, the study on each country
Page 28 and 29: minal dues programme, includingdeve
Page 30 and 31: Market focusPost and telephoneservi
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English pdf 4.95 mb - UPU - Universal Postal Union

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