On 4 October 2023, the Fourth Extraordinary Congress of the Universal Postal Union agreed a historic green package, including voluntary climate change action targets for the sector, and also approved an ambitious plan to modernise postal financial services that sets a course for interconnectivity with the wider postal sector.Decisions were taken on products and services to be provided by representatives of a wide range of postal stakeholders, alongside designated postal operators.

The approved Green Package establishes a voluntary, tiered approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the postal sector, recommended on the basis of postal services' ability to measure emissions and take action. Tier 1 countries will aim to reduce emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, with all three tiers working towards a collective 85 per cent reduction by 2050.

The adoption of the package also provides a mechanism for countries to make their environmental commitments and ambitions more visible by signing the Postal Action Statement on Climate Transparency. Together, these statements will send a unified signal to stakeholders that the postal sector is committed to supporting transformative action on climate change.

A number of events are taking place as part of the work of the Universal Postal Union Extraordinary Congress.

Delegations of the Regional Commonwealth Communications Administrations held the RCC Coordination Meeting, where they exchanged views on the agenda of the Congress of the Universal Postal Union.

The delegation of the Republic of Belarus also held a bilateral meeting with its counterparts from Uzbekistan.

They discussed prospects for the development of postal communication between the two countries and possibilities for strengthening co-operation in this area. The meeting participants also noted the need to develop e-commerce between Belarus and Uzbekistan.

In the afternoon, the high-level UPU 2023 Strategic Summit will take place, which includes three panel discussions, an informal conversation with the UPU head and general interaction among summit participants.

The outcomes of the summit will be key aspects of the UPU's strategy for 2026-2029.