Ministers, heads of regulators and CEOs from posts and the private sector charted their vision for the postal sector of the future at the UPU Global Leaders Summit in Dubai.

The Summit was held at the opening of the UPU’s 28th Universal Postal Congress on 8 September, bringing leaders together to set the tone for the two-week plenipotentiary meeting that will decide the UPU’s strategy and work plan for 2026-2029.

UPU Director General Masahiko Metoki opened the high-level forum with a call for all postal stakeholders – from governments and postal operators to the private sector – to work together to ensure the network continues to deliver value for citizens and businesses everywhere.

“With digitization reshaping economies, and public expectations evolving rapidly, postal operators are under increasing pressure to modernize their role from service providers to central enablers of national development, digital inclusion, and cross-border commerce,” said UPU Director General Masahiko Metoki.

“At its core, the Summit asks a fundamental question: what kind of postal ecosystem do we want to build for the next generation?”

Congress Chair and 7X Group CEO Tariq Al Wahedi joined the UPU Director General to open the discussions. “Our objective for today is clear: to align on a foundational architecture for the future – one that is scalable, inclusive, and sustainable,” he added.

Inclusive diversification

The first panel brought together Spanish Vice Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility Rafael Guerra Posadas, State Post Bureau of China Director General Zhao Chongjiu, Permanent Secretary of India’s Department of Posts Vandita Kaul, Austrian Post CEO Walter Oblin and Oman Post Chief Postmaster General Sayyid Nasr AlBusaidi.

When asked to envision the future of the postal sector, they highlighted the growing importance of e-commerce and digitization to the postal network in the years to come.

They underscored how the post could leverage its traditional role as a trusted and inclusive services provider to launch new financial, logistics, digitization and even telecommunication services, among others. Furthermore, they noted how these services could be rolled out with private sector partners to drive transformation, while ensuring the public interest.
 
Public-private synergies

Following up the previous panel’s discussions on the potential of public-private partnerships, the 7X Group CEO and Amazon Vice President for the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, Ronaldo Mouchawar, presented their successful quick commerce partnership.

As part of the initiative, “dark stores” created through the 7X logistics network will enable the delivery of Amazon orders to customers in mere minutes.

Mouchawar explained that the 7X network had attained a level of speed and accuracy that, in addition to its expansive network, helped make it an attractive partner. They agreed that the momentum for the initiative came from a bottom-up push from customers. Now, they act almost as one organization service a common customer, addressing gaps together and building the service in unison. 

Policy and culture played a key role in the initiative’s success, they explained, noting that working with the private sector has been an essential part of the UAE’s broader national strategy. This common vision set by the government built a foundation of trust between public and private sector, they said.

Empowering strategies

The Summit’s closing panel targeted tangible short- and medium-term strategies, gathering Brazilian Vice-Minister of Communications Sonia Faustino Mendes, US Postal Regulatory Commissioner Thomas Day, Mongolia Post CEO Telmen Gerelt, and International Post Corporation CEO Holger Winklbauer. To take advantage of the e-commerce opportunity, they stressed how postal operators could use their current network and expertise to better serve MSMEs.

Positioning the post in governments’ national agendas and ensuring appropriately flexible regulation would be key to pushing forward innovation while maintaining a financially sustainable universal service, they advised.

UPU as an enabler

The UPU could help drive transformation across the postal network by facilitating agreements across the wider postal network, streamlining transport routes, closing development gaps between national networks, and enabling the exchange of best practices not only between its members, but also with private sector partners. In closing remarks, UPU Deputy Director General Marjan Osvald stressed the connection between a strong postal network and a cohesive society.

“Without responsible owners, you cannot build a successful postal operator. Without successful postal operators you cannot build a successful society – help us build both,” he said.

The 28th Universal Postal Congress continues until 19 September. Learn more here.