In the wake of probably the most tumultuous week in the Universal Postal Union's history, UPU Director General Bishar A. Hussein is my special guest. In this interview, we discuss:
- Background to the debate over the compensation system
- How discussions progressed over an extended period
- Resistance to attempts at reform
- Tensions between different countries at the negotiating table
- When countries can start "self-declaring" rates
- What would have happened if no compromise had been found
- The role of the UPU in the future and the need for the union to be fit for purpose
- Opening up UPU membership to private carriers
- How the UPU and the postal sector is more than just letters
- Reform that has already occurred within the UPU
- Reforms to the contribution system, pension fund system, the quorum system, and more
- Comparisons with the ITU and its membership
- Could we see Jeff Bezos at the UPU?
- The range of treaties that flow through the UPU relating to cross-border trade
