On December 10, the APPU Postal Management Workshop on “Postal and Delivery Management Policies in the Era of Digital Transformation and E-Commerce” officially opened in Hanoi.

Attending the opening session were Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Bui Hoang Phuong; Dr. Vinaya Prakash Singh, Secretary General of the Asian-Pacific Postal Union (APPU) and delegates from APPU member countries and some countries in the Universal Postal Union - UPU.

Organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications in collaboration with APPU on December 10 and 11, the workshop focused on exchanging and discussing two main groups of contents including the postal legal framework in the digital age and strengthening postal development policy planning.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Bui Hoang Phuong believes that through the good experiences of APPU member countries, each country will learn to adjust to suit its own actual circumstances. Photo: T. Huong

Speaking at the opening session, Deputy Minister Bui Hoang Phuong emphasized that in the past decade, especially in the past 5 years, the postal industry has developed very strongly and changed rapidly to adapt to new opportunities and challenges from digital transformation; affecting the development of digital government, digital economy, e-commerce, as well as changing people's habits.

The UPU report shows that between 2013 and 2022, global domestic mail volumes will fall by 30% due to a decline in letter volumes, while global domestic parcel volumes will increase by 176% due to the boom in e-commerce. Universal postal service volumes are also declining globally.

“These trends require the postal industry to expand its ecosystem and operating space to become an essential national infrastructure of the digital economy, especially e-commerce,” said Deputy Minister Bui Hoang Phuong.

The representative of the Ministry of Information and Communications also said that the postal sector also needs to proactively participate in promoting digital government by becoming a government partner to serve the people; at the same time, actively participate in developing a digital society, ensuring the flow of material in addition to the flow of data.

Emphasizing the importance of cooperation between postal enterprises and policy-making agencies, a representative of the Ministry of Information and Communications said that the purpose of cooperation is to update and upgrade the postal legal environment to encourage innovation, creativity, and promote digital transformation in the postal sector; thereby, improving the efficiency and quality of postal enterprises, contributing to the development of digital government, digital economy, and digital society.

Dr. Vinaya Prakash Singh, Secretary General of APPU, discussed at the workshop on “Postal and delivery management policies in the era of digital transformation and e-commerce”. Photo: T.Huong

Sharing the same view, Dr. Vinaya Prakash Singh, Secretary General of APPU affirmed: Postal policies and regulations play a very important role in the development and success of the sector in every country. These are the frameworks that create opportunities for innovation, promote efficiency and ensure that the obligations of universal postal service remain maintained and relevant.

Dr Vinaya Prakash Singh said that when he took over the leadership of APPU nearly two years ago, one of his main objectives was to address the critical issues facing the postal sector.

“The issue of postal regulatory reform quickly became a recurring theme in my conversations with leaders from ministries, regulators and postal operators across the region. One important takeaway from these discussions was that we lacked a dedicated platform to share and discuss changes in postal regulations across countries in the region, ” shared Dr. Vinaya Prakash Singh.

The APPU chief also said that the postal industry needs to have a comprehensive repository of best practices to guide and inspire regulatory advancements, for the common good of all.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Bui Hoang Phuong, APPU Secretary General Vinaya Prakash Singh took a souvenir photo with delegates attending the APPU postal management conference. Photo: T. Huong

Noting that the APPU postal management workshop continued to mark the Union’s persistent efforts to bring regulatory discussions to the forefront, Dr Vinaya Prakash Singh shared his desire to establish a regular mechanism within the APPU to continue advancing the important work on postal regulations.

At the same time, he also believes that this mechanism will be a platform to inspire, support and guide countries in developing the field of postal reform and regulation.

The APPU Secretary General expects that the workshop participants will actively participate in discussions, share experiences and cooperate to build a legal framework that is ready for the future of the postal sector: “Together, we can ensure that our postal system will continue to develop and adapt to the changing needs of the societies and citizens we serve.”

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nganh-buu-chinh-can-mo-rong-he-sinh-thai-de-tro-thanh-ha-tang-cua-kinh-te-so-2350693.html