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GAO-16-813R 1 (2016-09-26)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaakgn0001 and id is 1 raw text is: GAOU.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE 441 G St. N.W. Washington, DC 20548 September 26, 2016 Congressional Requesters International Mail: Information on Designated Postal Operators and Universal Service in Selected Countries The United States Postal Service (USPS) exchanged approximately 940 million pieces of mail with more than 190 countries in 2015. This mail exchange generally occurs under agreements negotiated through the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a United Nations agency that facilitates the exchange of international postal service. The UPU's mission is to to facilitate communications between the inhabitants of the world by: guaranteeing the free circulation of postal items over a single postal territory composed of interconnected networks.1 The UPU facilitates this single global postal territory through multilateral agreements, some of which are updated and signed by all member countries every 4 years, wherein member countries promise to deliver mail sent from other member countries and to reimburse each other for the delivery of that mail. 2 The UPU's member countries agree to create this single postal territory by, among other things, ensuring a right to universal postal service consisting of quality basic postal services over their entire territory at affordable prices.3 Each member country can implement this universal postal service obligation (USO) as it deems appropriate. For example, each country can determine what type and level of postal service, such as letter mail, that it believes meets the universal service obligation.4 Additionally, each country can designate one or more postal operators to provide universal postal service. However, only two UPU member countries have selected more than one designated postal operator.5 1Universal Postal Union, Constitution of the Universal Postal Union, Preamble. 2UPU member countries are divided into six groups based on gross national income per capita and the cost for the designated postal operators to deliver letters to determine the level of reimbursement due each country. For mail flows from transitional (previously referred to as developing) countries, terminal dues rates are based primarily on worldwide average costs and are typically lower than target (previously referred to as industrialized) countries for lightweight mail items, such as letters. For mail flows from target countries, terminal dues are based on country- specific postage rates (currently 70 percent of domestic postage rates). 3Universal Postal Union, Universal Postal Convention, Article 3. 4Letter mail is generally defined by the UPU as, among other things, letters and postcards, aerogrammes, printed matter (newspapers, periodicals), addressed or unaddressed advertising materials, small packets, and literature for the blind. Universal Postal Union, Universal Postal Convention, Article 13. 5According to the UPU, Kyrgyzstan has two designated postal operators which are both licensed to provide unrestricted postal services throughout the country (see Universal Postal Union, Country Information on the Universal Postal Service: Kyrgyzstan, updated November 2014, accessed July 5, 2016, http://www.upu.int/fileadmin/documentsFiles/theUpu/statusOfPostaEntities/kgzEn pdf for more information). Bosnia and Herzegovina has three designated postal operators that deliver in separate geographic zones within the country (see Universal Postal Union, Country Information on the Universal Postal Service: Bosnia and Herzegovina, accessed July 5, 2016, http://www.upu int/fileadmin/documentsFiles/theUpu/statusOfPostalEntities/bihEn.pdf for more information). In addition, other countries, such as Denmark in the case of Greenland, may have different GAO-16-813R International Mail Page 1

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