January 15, 2004
Attached below are 21 proposals the United States is considering submitting for consideration by the UPU members at the quadrennial Congress that will be held in September 2004 in Bucharest, Romania.
They are being posted for public review. Any comments on the attached proposals should be directed to the following e-mail address: boothde@state.gov not later February 17, 2004. Any additional proposals should be submitted to the same e-mail address by February 17 as well for consideration. In submitting comments, please provide your full name, title, organization, address, phone, fax and e-mail.
Attachment: Draft U.S. UPU Congress Proposals
Proposal of a general nature
[Proposal 1]
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Resolution
UPU quality of service measurement: service standards, quantifiable goals and annual performance reviews for all classes of mail
Conscious
that the UPU?s mission statement calls upon the UPU to foster the development of high-quality and efficient universal postal services to facilitate communication among the people of the world.
Mindful
that the five main objectives of the Bucharest Postal Strategy support the basic mission of the UPU to improve postal services in its member countries, with particular emphasis on international mail exchanges.
Recognizing
that in 2005 the postal administrations of industrialized countries will apply a system of terminal dues payments based in part on their performance in delivering letter class mail (Quality Link to Terminal Dues), and that a similar system will be designed for the international mail exchanges of developing countries in the years thereafter.
Informed
that several major member administrations of the EMS Cooperative have applied the EMS Pay-for-performance Plan under which these administrations compensate one another based on their performance in delivering inbound EMS items and scanning and transmitting event data on these items.
Aware
that if the UPU is to effect tangible improvement in the quality of international postal services worldwide, postal administrations must develop achievable delivery standards for international mail whose degree of attainment can be gauged by employing reliable and objective performance measurements.
Concerned
that the UPU currently has no comprehensive systems or methods for measuring and publishing results on:
- the performance of administrations in delivering parcels;
- the performance of airlines in handling and transporting dispatches of international mail;
- the performance of administrations in applying UPU technical standards developed by the Standards Board for all classes of mail, such as the PREDES, RESDES, PRECON, RESCON messages.
Confident
that current advanced technologies and the UPU standards that have been adopted to take advantage of these technologies offer new opportunities to measure service performance for all classes of mail in all UPU member countries.
Persuaded
that the disciplines required by the Quality Link to Terminal Dues and EMS Pay-for-performance should be applied to UPU activities related to service performance measurement and possibly to other UPU activities where quantifiable goals may be adopted and objective measurements conducted.
Instructs
the Postal Operations Council to:
- develop and publish periodic comprehensive report cards on the performance of all administrations in delivering all classes of mail, where such reports do not now exist, which could include the quality of tracking and data transmission for individual items and the performance of contractors, such as airlines, in carrying out tasks related to international mail exchanges;
- conduct annual reviews of the performance of administrations and contractors as reflected in these report cards;
- adopt quantifiable annual goals for service performance that could specify performance targets for individual administrations, groups of administrations (such as regional targets) or all administrations worldwide;
- continue efforts to link inter-administration payments for delivery of mail to service performance for all classes of mail.
Reasons. -- The aim of this proposal is to make UPU member postal administrations, the Postal Operations Council and, at least indirectly, the International Bureau responsible for the quality of international postal service among the organization?s 190 member countries. In its mission statement, the UPU declares itself responsible for fostering the improvement of the quality of international postal service. To improve international postal service, it is first necessary to set standards against which objective, quantifiable measurements can be taken. To measure attainment of the standards, it is necessary to put into place measurement systems that produce regular performance reports that are at once unassailably reliable and objective. The real test of the quality and credibility of service performance measurements and reports is whether postal administrations are willing to make inter-administration payments (terminal dues, etc.) on the basis of the performance reports.
The experience of the UPU over the past five years in pay-for-performance arrangements for EMS has shown the value of these systems in improving postal administrations? delivery performance. The 2005 Quality Link is also expected to lead to significant improvements in the quality of service of letter mail. Through this proposal, the UPU would apply the experience over the past five years to all classes of mail and to all administrations -- at least to all those where such performance measurement is viable -- starting with high-volume administrations. It is important to stress that as a result of this proposal, the POC could assign specific annual goals to individual postal administrations or to specific regions. Further, the POC may also assign specific, quantifiable goals for improving quality of service or expanding tracking or data transmission capability to its individual project teams or committees.
If successful, this approach -- that is, setting standards, establishing quantifiable goals, conducting measurements, and carrying out an annual review of the results and the goals themselves -- may be applied in the future to other UPU activities that lend themselves to application of these disciplines.
[Proposal 2]
Proposal of a general nature
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Resolution
Comprehensive review of UPU operational and accounting procedures
Aware
that the use of computers in the exchange of international mail and inter-administration settlement of accounts has become increasingly common in recent years, to the extent that some administrations no longer use paper documentation for inter-administration payments for some classes of mail, such as EMS.
Recognizing
that the Postal Operations Council, through its Standards Board and other groups, has developed technical standards for the exchange of international mail that are attracting broad use by postal administrations as well as by delivery agents, airlines and other stakeholders.
Taking into account
that the Postal Operations Council has successfully developed and promoted actions to increase the use of computer data for the exchange of mail, for example through the work of the EMS Cooperative, the Telematics Cooperative and the Postal Security Action Group.
Observing
that the use of computer transmissions, data and files by postal administrations is uneven, so that a widening gap has arisen between those administrations that rely heavily on the use of computers in their exchange of international mail and those that mainly use the paper-based UPU forms and documentation.
Convinced
that the long-term goal of the UPU should be to effect a transition from paper-based documentation to computer data to document the exchange of international mail, and that the development of a comprehensive set of operational and accounting procedures based on the exchange of computer data would be essential for the UPU to achieve this goal.
Instructs
the Postal Operations Council, in collaboration with the Council of Administration, to:
- carry out a comprehensive review of the procedures concerning postal operations and inter-administration settlement of accounts in order to distinguish those procedures that are based on the transmission of EDI messages or exchange of computer files, such as spreadsheets or PDF documents, from those based on traditional UPU forms.
- draft a comprehensive set of operational and accounting procedures based strictly on the exchange of EDI transmissions or computer files, developing new or supplementary procedures where they do not yet exist, either in the Convention or Regulations, as UPU standards or in other UPU documentation.
- make proposals about how the data in the current global networks, such as POST*Net, GXS and eMaria, could be combined into a single database or how the data could be managed in such a way that from the user?s perspective the data appear to reside in a single database, and taking into account proper authorization and authentication for access to data.
- carry out a further recast of the Convention and Regulations, if necessary, based on the conclusions of this work.
Reasons. -- This proposal attempts to address several serious issues related to the exchange of international mail by postal administrations and other stakeholders. These issues arise from the fact that the networks used for the exchange of international mail are not connected to one another and therefore can be difficult to use in concert; that the UPU should facilitate simplification and ease of use for migration from paper to electronic documentation; and that there is a need for a comprehensive review of all UPU operational and accounting procedures from the perspective of computer transmission of data. Further, there is a growing gap between those administrations that mainly use computers to document and account for international mail and those that use paper-based UPU forms for these purposes. Action by the UPU is urgently needed to narrow this gap to resolve the day-to-day practical problems in the exchange of international mail that this situation has engendered.
Currently, a number of disconnected systems perform functions related to the exchange of international mail. Examples are the POST*Net/GXS network for EMS item level tracking and PREDES2/RESDES transmissions; eMARIA for tracking mail losses; ?Rugby? for EMS call center functions; the pilot systems currently in operation for recording and transmitting customs declaration data; and the newly-created UPU*Clearing system for settlement of accounts. Serious thought and planning should be given to linking access to the data generated by these systems such that they are or appear to be one network and system so that, for example, a postal accountant settling accounts could reference records of mail losses, or the weight of mail dispatched, without exiting the account settlement application.
If there is to be a single network of systems that would unite all the data employed in the exchange of international mail, then logically the procedures used by postal administrations ? some of which have not significantly changed since the late 19th century ? need to be completely revised so they are aligned with these systems.
This task of reviewing all current UPU operational and accounting procedures and developing, as needed, a comprehensive set of procedures based on transmission of computer data and files would be a major undertaking for the POC. A team of experts in operations and accounting for international mail from several countries would most likely be needed to carry out this work. Development of this comprehensive set of procedures to record the exchange of international mail is urgently needed if the UPU is to facilitate postal administrations in making the transition from paper-based documentation to transmission of computer data.
[Proposal 3]
Proposal of a general nature
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Resolution
Certification of postal administrations? performance in providing postal services
Congress,
Aware
that the EMS Cooperative applies a system of certification of the service performance of its member postal administrations which takes into account such aspects of EMS as delivery performance, quality and timeliness of tracking data, call center performance, quality of bar codes and regular and timely submission of entries for the EMS Operational Guide.
Recognizing
that this system of certification is based on specific, concrete criteria and that the performance of administrations is published in report cards produced quarterly and annually by a third-party auditing firm.
In view of
the objectiveness and fairness of this certification system, which has not only given rise to the EMS Cooperative?s Pay-for-performance Plan, under which participating administrations receive inter-administration payments based on their actual performance in scanning and delivering EMS parcels in accordance with their own validated delivery standards.
Concerned
that the Postal Operations Council has approved a system of certification for letter post based on criteria not directly related to the performance of postal administrations in delivering inbound international mail, but which stresses the intentions of administrations to take action to improve their performance.
Conscious
of the benefits of applying common principles for certification of postal administrations for the operation of all international postal services, including LC, AO, parcels, EMS and postal financial services.
Instructs
the Postal Operations Council to develop common UPU principles and practices for the certification of postal administrations? performance in providing postal services based on specific standards and criteria and actual performance by postal administrations.
Reasons. -- Certifying the quality of postal administrations? performance in providing postal services is serious business. The EMS Cooperative?s efforts to certify postal administrations by measuring their quality of service (published in the Cooperative?s quarterly and annual report cards) led directly to the development, adoption and implementation of the EMS Pay-for-performance Plan. This Plan has dramatically improved the delivery performance of the several participating postal administrations, which collectively export more than half of the world?s EMS traffic. In the coming months and years, many more administrations are expected to join the EMS Pay-for-performance Plan.
If the UPU?s certification programs for LC, AO and parcels are to be taken seriously, or are to lead to pay-for-performance arrangements under which administrations compensate one another based on their actual performance -- or enhance existing pay-for-performance arrangements -- then they must be based on actual measurements against specific, agreed-upon criteria. It is therefore important that the UPU adopt a common set of principles and practices for the certification of postal administrations, based on actual service performance measurements, that are solid and serious enough so that administrations would be prepared to make inter-administration payments based on these measurements.
[Proposal 4]
Proposal of a general nature
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Resolution
Structure and organization of the Postal Operations Council?s work on parcels
Congress,
Aware
that the Postal Operations Council will continue to face serious difficulties in achieving further development of cross-border parcel services, which will require, for example, efforts to:
- bring inward land rates closer into line with actual costs;
- encourage postal administrations to apply UPU-standard item identifiers and barcodes on parcels;
- validate parcel delivery standards;
- conduct measurements of service performance through the services of a third-party auditor; and
- apply pay-for-performance principles to parcels under which postal administrations would receive inter-administration payments based on their actual performance in scanning and delivering parcels in accordance with their validated delivery standards.
Recognizing
the benefits of the organizational structure of the EMS Cooperative, which has attracted new funding for UPU work in managing and further developing EMS service, and serves as an effective model for the work carried out by the Postal Operations Council for similar products, such as parcels.
Taking into account
the considerable accomplishments of the EMS and Telematics Cooperative since the Beijing Congress, which have benefited not only the members of these organizations, but also non-members by improving the worldwide postal network as a whole by strengthening postal administrations? information technology capabilities as well as their overall EMS service performance.
Instructs
the Postal Operations Council to consider alternative arrangements for its work related to parcels, such as:
- a combining of the work of parcels and EMS into one larger ?Parcels and EMS Cooperative? which could apply the Statutes of the current EMS Cooperative with necessary amendments to take into account the special conditions of the parcel service, or
- the creation of a separate Parcels Cooperative, which would use the current Statutes of the EMS Cooperative and the Telematics Cooperative as models.
Recommends
that postal administrations? membership in any separate Cooperative for parcels created as a result of this resolution should be voluntary.
Reasons. -- The organizational structure of the EMS Cooperative, which features a seven-person Board elected ad personam by the entire Cooperative membership, an annual business plan, weighted voting, flexible staffing arrangements, extra-budgetary financing, weighted voting principles and automatic loss of membership for failure to pay annual contributions, has proven its worth through the Cooperative?s impressive accomplishments since its creation in September 1999 in Beijing.
The Telematics Cooperative has also accomplished a considerable amount of work in recent years, particularly in the outsourcing of the POST*Net network, the development and deployment of IPS, IFS and IPS Light and in that Cooperative?s efforts to revise its Statutes to make the organization as responsive as possible to its members.
The successes of these Cooperatives could also be applied to the Postal Operations Council?s work on parcels. The purpose of this proposal is to launch a debate within the UPU about the possible benefits if the EMS Cooperative were to expand its scope to take on the parcels products, in addition to EMS. Membership in this expanded ?Parcels and EMS? Cooperative would remain voluntary. Alternatively, it would also be possible to form a separate ?Parcels Cooperative?. At any rate, without new sources of funding, the UPU is likely to find it impossible to solve the major issues facing the parcels service, which include the following:
- mandatory use of barcoded labels on parcels;
- measurement of the use of barcoded parcel and receptacle labels;
- transmission of PREDES2 and RESDES for parcels;
- development and validation of each administration?s parcel delivery standards;
- measurement of the quality of tracking of parcels;
- measurement of parcel service performance; and
- further standardization of the parcel product.
[Proposal 5]
Proposal of a general nature
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Resolution
Improving the quality and access to operational information on the UPU website
Congress,
Conscious
of the need of member administrations for rapid access to information related to international mail operations of other postal administrations.
Considering
how modern information technology can help to meet this need.
Noting
that the operational data on the UPU website are simply electronic reproductions of pages of UPU publications that are placed in different locations on the site and are often difficult to access.
Taking account
of recent advances in website design that have greatly improved capabilities for rapid access to information as well as search features that allow better navigation through websites.
Instructs
the Council of Administration, the Postal Operations Council and the International Bureau, each in as far as it is concerned, to make the necessary arrangements to redesign, implement and maintain a UPU website that would:
- compile information in UPU compendia and publications, documents and lists into database systems that would standardize the information presented and take advantage of recent advances in website design.
- employ recent advances in website design to improve the user interface with frequently updated databases to facilitate better access to needed information.
- be kept current with updated information about the exchange of international mail submitted to the International Bureau by member administrations and, as appropriate, the CA and the POC.
- be modified, whenever necessary, to assist member administrations in complying with new developments in operational requirements for the exchange of international mail (for example, desired methods for return of empty equipment or links to information about recent changes in government regulations).
Reasons. -- Currently, operational information about the exchange of international mail between member administrations is spread out over many UPU compendia, guides, lists and documents. To some extent, the design of the UPU website electronically reflects the dispersed nature of this information. This proposal aims to take advantage of current industry standards in website design, website links, information databases and search engines to make this information more accessible on the present UPU website (www.upu.int) or on a new UPU website specifically designed to meet the needs of operational managers.
Under this proposal, the International Bureau would take an active role in either redesigning the current UPU website, or designing a separate operational website to achieve the following goals:
- concentrate and standardize existing operational information through incorporation into appropriate databases;
- develop an interface that allows access to those databases that not only streamlines the retrieval process, but also employs wider use of search features to guide the user;
- add helpful links to other websites and information databases where needed; and
- maintain and update the features of the UPU website when new information is provided by member administrations or other national or international authorities.
The design and maintenance of the EMS Cooperative?s ?EMS Operational Guide? website is a good example of what this proposal seeks to achieve.
This website would need to be updated with information about new requirements (either global or member-specific) related to the exchange of international mail. An example of a global requirement would be recent changes in UPU regulations that seek information about each administration?s desired methods for the return of empty equipment. An example of a member-specific requirement might be information about changes in Customs regulations regarding mail imports in a particular country.
This proposal envisions that the International Bureau would draft the guiding principles and a business case for the website redesign under the guidance of the Postal Operations Council. The International Bureau would also develop an estimate for funding the website redesign and subsequent maintenance which would be submitted to the Council of Administration for approval.
The UPU publications that contain information that could be included in this website would include the following:
- Compendium of Information (Letter Post)
- Compendium of Information (Parcel Post)
- Compendium of Information (Transit)
- Compendium of Information (Postal Payment Services)
- Customer Guide for International Postal Shipments and Customs Matters
- Operations Guide for International Postal Shipments and Customs Matters
- General List of Airmail Services (List CN 68)
- List of Prohibited Articles
- List of Airmail Distances
- List of Registered Extraterritorial Offices of Exchange (ETOEs)
- List of International Mail Processing Centers (IMPC) Codes
- Compendium of Delivery Standards
- UPU Code Lists
- UPU Standards Glossary
- Catalogue of UPU Standards
Links and search engine features could be developed to navigate and access operational information from other UPU publications, such as the following:
- Letter Post Manual
- Postal Parcels Manual
- Postal Payment Services Manual
- Technical Standards Manual
- Message Development Guide
- International Postal Parcels Service Accounting Guide
Links could also be established to websites or database resources that require special user names and passwords such as the following:
- EMS Operational Guide
- Universal POST*CODE? DataBase website
- Selected Postal Security Action Group websites such as eMaria
- International organizations that perform postal-related work, such as the World Customs Organization
- Websites related to postal trade unions
The focus of this proposal is to improve access to operational information related to the exchange of international mail that the International Bureau regularly communicates to postal administrations through UPU publications. If developed, the design of this ?operational? website could serve as the prototype for other functional areas of interest to UPU member administrations (for example, accounting, finance or technical cooperation).
[Proposal 6]
Convention -- Proposal
Article 12
Items not admitted. Prohibitions
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Create the following paragraph 3.1.3:
3.1.3 flies of the family Drosophilidea for biomedical research.
Reasons. -- The fly Drosophila melanogaster is widely used in biomedical research. Hundreds of research laboratories in more than forty countries use this organism for important scientific studies, and the sharing of fly strains between laboratories is absolutely essential to research progress. Closely related fly species of the family Drosophilidae are also intensively studied. Nevertheless, the mailing of fly samples between countries is not permitted by letter-post under the Universal Postal Convention.
In biomedical research, relatively few organisms can be grown easily in a laboratory setting. A worldwide community of scientists has grown up around the use of this remarkable insect for exploring biological processes. In order for scientists to build on the results of other scientists, they need access to both published information and the fly strains generated in the course of genetic research. Consequently, a robust tradition of exchanging fly strains exists within the Drosophila research community.
The growth of interest in Drosophila as a ?model organism? for biomedical research has been strong in recent years with many new laboratories devoted to studying flies being founded yearly. In the future, we will see important advances in human medicine developing directly from discoveries in the fly. All of these advances depend on the ability of researchers to exchange living fly samples. Given the trends in scientific research, it is important for scientists worldwide to have access to samples of fly species closely related to Drosophila melanogaster. Consequently, all species of the family Drosophilidae need to be included in the list of mailable animals in the Universal Postal Convention.
Flies in the family Drosophilidae have no deleterious economic impact. They do not attack growing produce in the manner of flies from other taxonomic families such as the ?Med fly? of the family Tephriditae. The U.S. Department of Agriculture does not list them as plant pests. Flies from this family are not recognized as vectors for human or animal diseases. They do not bite or sting. These flies do not pose a hazard to postal workers or the public.
The fly species of interest to biomedical research can be shipped easily in plastic vials containing artificial fly food. The vials are typically stoppered with tight-fitting cotton or cellulose acetate plugs. Fly larvae survive transportation better than adults, so cultures often travel with no mature adults once eggs are deposited on the food. When the vials are properly packaged in a sealed box, the chance of flies escaping is negligible. Cultures can easily survive for three to four weeks in a box as long as they encounter no extreme temperatures. There are no strong odors associated with fly cultures.
Article 12 of the Universal Postal Convention was written to allow economically important invertebrate organisms to be mailed by letter-post. The exclusion of research model invertebrate organisms is an unfortunate, but easily remedied, situation. Amending Article 12 to allow the international mailing of flies of the family Drosophilidae would have no negative consequences and would foster scientific progress worldwide.
[Proposal 7]
Convention -- Proposal
Article 14
Inquiries
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Paragraph 1. Amend as follows:
1. Each postal administration shall be bound to accept inquiries relating to any registered, insured, or recorded delivery item posted in the service of its own administration or any other administration provided that the inquiries are presented within a period of six months from the day after that on which the item was posted.
Reasons. -- The Convention currently compels administrations to conduct inquiries of articles notwithstanding whether they are combined with special services, such as registered, insured, or recorded delivery mail. This amendment would relieve receiving administrations of processing of inquiries on ordinary mail, which is difficult to track. Billions of pieces of mail are exchanged among UPU members, and it is burdensome to require administrations to process inquiries on ordinary items.
[Proposal 8]
Convention -- Proposal
Article 23
Posting abroad of letter-post items
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Create the following paragraph 4bis:
4bis Nothing in this section is intended to authorize or compel the administration of destination to accept items tendered by (i) providers other than an administration dispatching items from within the territorial boundaries of the UPU member country within which it offers universal service, or (ii) providers that do not offer reciprocity for exchange of letter post items.
Reasons. -- Some postal administrations have asserted that since Article 23 creates remedial measures for ABC remail, then it must also contemplate remedies for receipt of items tendered by extraterritorial offices of exchange (ETOEs). As background, an ETOE is an office or facility, operated by or in connection with a postal operator, outside its home territory in the territory of another country. A common ETOE practice is for a business affiliated with a postal administration to establish operations outside the postal administration?s home territory. The ETOE tenders items to other postal administrations, but does not offer reciprocal exchange service. This proposed amendment would make clear that defenders of ETOE practices cannot avail themselves of Article 23 as a source of authority to compel receiving administrations to accept items tendered by ETOEs under the UPU Acts. Such authority, if any, should be derived from explicit provisions in the Acts addressing the practices of ETOEs.
[Proposal 9]
Convention, Final Protocol -- Proposal
Prot Article I
Ownership of postal items. Withdrawal from the post. Alteration or correction of address
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Create the following paragraph 4bis:
4bis Article 3.2 shall not apply to the United States of America.
Reasons. -- Compliance with internal regulations.
[Proposal 10]
Convention, Final Protocol -- Proposal
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Create the following new article XXIbis:
Article XXIbis
Supplementary services
1 Notwithstanding article 10.1.1, the United States of America shall not be obligated to offer registration service for non-priority items.
Reasons. -- Compliance with internal regulations.
[Proposal 11]
Letter Post Regulations -- Proposal
Article RL 149
Inquiries
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Amend paragraphs 2.6 and 3 as follows:
2.6 The first administration to receive the CN08 form and accompanying documents from a customer shall invariably complete its investigations within ten days and forward the CN08 form and accompanying documents to the corresponding administration. The form and documents shall be returned to the administration which originated the inquiry as soon as possible and at the latest within two months from the date of the original inquiry or within 30 days from the date of the original inquiry if the case was reported by fax or any other electronic means. Inquiries on registered and recorded delivery items shall be accompanied by the addressee's declaration made out on a CN18 form and certifying the non-receipt of the item under inquiry. After the corresponding period, has elapsed, a reply shall be sent by fax, e-mail or any other means of telecommunication to the administration of origin at the expense of the administration of destination. An addressee's declaration made out on a CN 18 form certifying non-receipt shall not be required for ordinary letter post items.
3 Inquiries about recorded delivery items
Reasons. -- The Letter Post Regulations currently require administrations to obtain a written statement of non-receipt from the addressee for registered, insured, recorded delivery, and ordinary items. However, addressees often do not respond to requests to furnish these statements. Frequently addressees return statements late or do not return the statements at all. This amendment would relieve receiving administrations of providing CN 18 statements for ordinary letter post items. Inquiries could be returned as soon as a determination is made about a record of delivery for the item under inquiry. Billions of pieces of mail are exchanged among UPU members, and it is burdensome to require administrations to provide CN 18 statements for ordinary items. Revising the CN 18 requirement would assist administrations in responding to CN 08 inquiries on registered, insured, and recorded delivery items in a more timely manner.
[Proposal 12]
Letter Post Regulations -- Proposal
Article RL 172
Make-up of mails
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Paragraph 2.4. Amend as follows:
2.4 Except as noted in 2.4.1, for the make-up of airmails, bags either entirely blue or with wide blue bands shall be used. In the absence of special agreement between the administrations concerned, the airmail bags shall also be used for priority mails. For making up surface mails or surface airlifted mails, surface bags of a color other than that of the airmail bags (e.g. beige, brown, white, etc.) shall be used. Administrations of destination must, however, check all the bag labels in order to ensure correct processing.
2.4.1. Administrations that use a common mailbag for multiple purposes may use these bags in the make-up of mails for all the above categories as long as the bag labels correctly identify the category of mail contained within.
Reasons. -- This provision would give postal administrations a greater range of options for mailbags used in the make-up of mail dispatches. This provision would not eliminate the use of color of receptacle as an aide. Rather, it places primary emphasis on the information on the bag label to determine the category of mail contained within the mailbag.
Color is not standardized for surface mail and does not serve to determine whether a mailbag contains surface mail or surface airlifted mail. Moreover, the increasing use of trays for exchanges of air mail has drawn attention to the importance of the color of labels over the color of the receptacle. Also, administrations may occasionally not have enough of a certain color of mailbag to meet their dispatching needs.
Savings, through economies of scale, can be achieved if postal administrations use standardized sets of bags (for example, the same bags used domestically) for their international mails. If properly labeled, the contents of the bag can readily be identified for the purposes of processing without reference to the color of the bag.
[Proposal 13]
Letter Post Regulations -- Proposal
Article RL 189
Transfer of mails
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Paragraph 2.5. Amend as follows:
2.5 CN 38 or CN 41 bills which have been transmitted electronically by the air carrier may be accepted at the receiving exchange office if the two copies identified under 2.4 are not immediately available. In this case, two copies of the CN 38 or CN 41 bill must be signed by the air carrier representative at the destination airport prior to submission to the receiving administration. Except as noted in 2.5.1 or 2.5.2, one copy shall be signed by the receiving administration as a receipt for the mails and shall be kept by the air carrier. The second copy shall accompany the mails to the post office to which the CN 38 or CN 41 bill is addressed.
2.5.1 Administrations that have developed an electronic receipting system for mail dispatches that they receive from transport carriers may use the receipting records of that system instead of the CN 38 or CN 41 process described under 2.5. In lieu of the signed copy of the CN 38 or CN 41 forms, the receiving administration can provide the air carrier with a printed copy of the electronic receipting record for that dispatch.
2.5.2 Alternatively, administrations that exchange EDI messaging for mail dispatches and consignments may use the EDI receipt messages instead of the CN 38 or CN 41 process as described under 2.5. In lieu of the signed copy of the CN 38 or CN 41 forms, the receiving administration may transmit the EDI receipt message.
Reasons. -- The current process outlined in paragraph 2.5 is both paper-intensive and labor-intensive. Consequently, many administrations have already commenced developing and deploying electronic systems that record the specifics of receipt of a mail dispatch. This amendment seeks to allow administrations to take advantage of the technical capabilities of these systems to streamline the process.
[Proposal 14]
Letter Post Regulations -- Proposal
Article RL 209
Calculation of the rates of terminal dues applicable to exchange between industrialized countries
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Create the following new paragraph 2bis:
2bis Administrations that send more than 100 tonnes of letter-post mail per year or that settle terminal dues based upon individual mail flow estimates must:
2.1bis transmit PREDES V2 and PRECON V1 messages for their outbound dispatches, including the receptacle type, using UPU-standard receptacle codes and item identifiers for registered, insured and recorded delivery items; use the 29-character UPU-standard barcode symbology Code 128 on all postal receptacles (including air, SAL, and surface receptacles); and transmit PRECON and PREDES messages for its outbound dispatches, including the receptacle type, using UPU-standard receptacle codes. Nevertheless, administrations that already transmit PREDES V1 message may continue to do so in place of PREDES V2 as they make the transition from PREDES V1 to PREDES V2.
2.2bis transmit RESDES V1.1 messages for inbound dispatches that have been preadvised with PREDES messages, including the receptacle type, using UPU-standard receptacle codes.
2.4bis transmit UPU-standard messages only, as approved by the UPU Standards Board.
Reasons. -- The use of the 29-character UPU barcode on receptacles provides an opportunity for receiving administrations to utilize automated registration systems and to improve communication between administrations. The use of barcodes accelerates the time required to process inbound weight data and, hence, the overall terminal dues settlement process.
EDI provides advance notification to receiving administrations about the volume of inbound mail. The combination of the EDI message and scanning of inbound receptacles also provides receipt confirmation through the RESDES message. These requirements impact large volume administrations only. This automated approach greatly reduces the paperwork involved for receiving administrations, as well as for dispatching administrations. IPS (International Postal System) and IPS Light could provide this capability to administrations currently lacking the ability to meet these requirements. Both systems are available to administrations through Quality of Service Fund initiatives.
Given the availability and low cost to smaller administrations of IPS Light, which has the capability of producing barcodes and sending EDI transmissions, the threshold for this requirement may be reduced to include lower volume administrations. Advance notification to receiving administrations also provides information needed by customs authorities to facilitate clearance of mail and meet the growing supply-chain security requirements.
[Proposal 15]
Letter Post Regulations -- Proposal
Article RL 220.1.2
Preparation and transmission and acceptance of CN 53 and 54 bills for exchanges of mail between industrialized countries
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Paragraph 1.3. Amend as follows:
1.3 The CN 54 recapitulative statement, accompanied by the CN 53 forms, shall be sent to the other administration concerned each quarter not later than five months after receipt of the last mail included in the statistics. In addition to hardcopies, these CN 53 and 54 statements shall be provided, whenever possible, in standardized electronic format, preferably in a commonly used spreadsheet format.
Reasons. -- Larger administrations with multiple exchange offices may wish to weight their statistical data using the census accounting weight controls provided by the CN 55 and 56 forms. Currently, due to limitations in consolidating inbound accounting weights for all transportation modes, the regulations do not require that the CN 55 and 56 forms be sent until six months after the end of a quarter. To assist in the monthly or quarterly weighting of sample data, the submission dates for both the CN 54 and CN 56 should be the same.
Paragraph 1.3 states that that CN 54 statements shall be provided, whenever possible, in standardized electronic format. Despite this provision, to our knowledge no postal administrations currently actually submit CN 53 and 54 data in electronic format. This results in delays in reviewing data, especially when the estimates are in dispute. This proposal would specify that the electronic format in which forms CN 53 and CN 54 should be submitted would be that of commonly used spreadsheet software.
[Proposal 16]
Letter Post Regulations -- Proposal
Article RL 224.1
Transmission and acceptance of CN 55 and CN 56 statements of mails
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Paragraph 1. Amend as follows:
1 The CN 56 recapitulative statement shall be sent in duplicate to the administrations of origin of the mails within five months at the latest after the end of the quarter to which it relates.
Reasons. -- Larger administrations with multiple exchange offices may wish to weight their statistical data using the census accounting weight controls provided by the CN 55 and 56 forms. Currently, due to limitations in consolidating inbound accounting weights for all transportation modes, the regulations do not require that the CN 55 and 56 forms be sent until six months after the end of a quarter. To assist in the monthly or quarterly weighting of sample data, the submission dates for both the CN 54 and CN 56 forms should be the same.
[Proposal 17]
Parcel Post Regulations -- Proposal
Article RC 143
Inquiries
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Amend paragraph 4.6 as follows:
4.6 The first administration to receive the CN 08 form and accompanying documents from a customer shall invariably complete its investigations within ten days and forward the CN 08 form and accompanying documents to the corresponding administration. The form and documents shall be returned to the administration which originated the inquiry as soon as possible and at the latest within two months from the date of the original inquiry or within 30 days from the date of the original inquiry if the case was reported by fax or any other electronic means. Inquiries on insured parcels shall be accompanied by the addressee's declaration made out on a CN18 form and certifying the non-receipt of the item under inquiry. After the corresponding period has elapsed, a reply shall be sent by fax, e-mail or any other means of telecommunication to the administration of origin at the expense of the administration of destination. An addressee's declaration made out on a CN18 form and certifying non-receipt shall not be required for ordinary parcels.
Reasons. -- The Parcel Post Regulations currently require administrations to obtain a written statement of non-receipt from the addressee for insured and ordinary parcels. For ordinary parcels, addressees often do not respond to requests to furnish these statements. Frequently addressees return statements late or do not return the statements at all. This amendment would relieve receiving administrations of providing CN 18 statements on ordinary parcels. Inquiries could be returned as soon as it is determined whether or not a signature was obtained. Millions of parcels are exchanged among UPU members, and it is burdensome to require administrations to provide CN 18 statements for ordinary items. Revising the CN 18 requirement would assist administrations in responding to CN 08 inquiries on insured parcels in a more timely manner.
[Proposal 18]
Parcel Post Regulations -- Proposal
Article RC 159
General principles for the exchange of parcels
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Create the following new paragraph 16bis:
16bis Administrations that send more than 100 tonnes of parcels per year must:
16.1bis transmit PREDES V2 and PRECON V1 messages for their outbound dispatches, including the receptacle type, using UPU-standard receptacle codes and item identifiers for insured parcels; use the 29-character UPU-standard barcode symbology Code 128 on all postal receptacles (including air, S.A.L., and surface receptacles); and transmit PRECON and PREDES messages for its outbound dispatches, including the receptacle type, using UPU-standard receptacle codes. Nevertheless, administrations that already transmit PREDES V1 message may continue to do so in place of PREDES V2 as they make the transition from PREDES V1 to PREDES V2.
16.2bis transmit RESDES V1.1 messages for inbound dispatches that have been preadvised with PREDES messages, including the receptacle type, using UPU-standard receptacle codes.
16.4bis transmit UPU-standard messages only, as approved by the UPU Standards Board.
Reasons. -- The use of the 29-character UPU barcode on receptacles provides an opportunity for receiving administrations to employ automated registration systems and to improve communication between administrations. The use of barcodes accelerates the time required to process inbound weight data and, hence, the overall inter-administration settlement process.
EDI provides advance notification to receiving administrations about the volume of inbound mail. The combination of the EDI message and scanning of inbound receptacles also provides receipt confirmation through the RESDES message. These requirements impact large volume administrations only. This automated approach greatly reduces the paperwork involved for receiving administrations, as well as for dispatching administrations. IPS (International Postal System) and IPS Light could provide this capability to administrations currently lacking the ability to meet these requirements. Both systems are available to administrations through Quality of Service Fund initiatives.
Given the availability and low cost to smaller administrations of IPS Light, which has the capability of producing barcodes and sending EDI transmissions, the threshold for this requirement may be reduced to include lower volume administrations. Advance notification to receiving administrations also provides information needed by customs authorities to facilitate clearance of parcels and meet the growing supply-chain security requirements.
[Proposal 19]
Parcel Post Regulations -- Proposal
Article RC 176
Transfer of mails
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Paragraph 2.6. Amend as follows:
2.6 CN 38 or CN 41 bills which have been transmitted electronically by the air carrier may be accepted at the receiving exchange office if the two copies identified under 2.4 are not immediately available. In this case, two copies of the CN 38 or CN 41 bill must be signed by the air carrier representative at the destination airport prior to submission to the receiving administration. Except as noted in 2.6.1 or 2.6.2, one copy shall be signed by the receiving administration as a receipt for the mails and shall be kept by the air carrier. The second copy shall accompany the mails to the post office to which the CN 38 or CN 41 bill is addressed.
2.6.1 Administrations that have developed an electronic receipting system for parcel dispatches that they receive from transport carriers may use the receipting records of that system instead of the CN 38 or CN 41 process described under 2.5. In lieu of the signed copy of the CN 38 or CN 41 forms, the receiving administration can provide the air carrier with a printed copy of the electronic receipting record for that dispatch.
2.6.2 Alternatively, administrations that exchange EDI messaging for parcel dispatches and consignments may use the EDI receipt messages instead of the CN 38 or CN 41 process as described under 2.6. In lieu of the signed copy of the CN 38 or CN 41 forms, the receiving administration may transmit the EDI receipt message.
Reasons. -- The current process outlined in paragraph 2.6 of this article is both paper-intensive and labor-intensive. Consequently, many administrations have already commenced developing and deploying electronic systems that record the specifics of receipt of a mail dispatch. This amendment seeks to allow administrations to take advantage of the technical capabilities of these systems to streamline the process of recording the receipt of mail dispatches.
[Proposal 20]
Forms -- Proposal
CN 53
Statement by mail. Number of items and weight of receptacles
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Amend form CN 53 as follows:
- Add one column after the receptacle number of the sample for receptacle type.
- Add one column at the end for the 29-character UPU standard S1-3 barcode symbology Code 128.
- Add a footnote to list standardized receptacle type codes for letter trays [PU], flat tubs [GU], bags [BG], and container [CN].
Reasons. ? Pursuant to Letter Post Regulations Article RL 218 [formerly RE 1013], Alternative approach for statistical counts for exchanges of mail between industrialized countries, industrialized countries (ICs) may develop estimates of the number of items per kilogram (ipk) based upon receptacle type. For exchanges utilizing letter trays, flat tubs, and LC/AO bags, the alternative approach improves the statistical precision of the estimates, as there is less fluctuation in estimates within receptacle type. Including the receptacle type on the CN 53 will support the use of this alternative approach. An IC using this approach may incorporate the receptacle type data in its form CN 54.
As there is a wide variation in ipk estimates by receptacle type, especially between letter trays and other receptacle types, overall estimates can be skewed, for example, upward if a disproportionate amount of letter trays are sampled. In disputes of estimates under any of the methods outlined in Chapter 11, Section C, Sampling Operations, ICs may make certain assumptions of ipk ranges for each receptacle type in order to show a disproportionate amount of letter trays being sampled. However, including the receptacle type on form CN 53 will eliminate the need for making these assumptions, which may be further cause for dispute.
[Proposal 21]
Forms -- Proposal
CN 56
Recapitulative statement of mails
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Amend form CN 56 as follows:
- Place the ?Third quarter? and ?Fourth quarter? subheaders under the ?First quarter? and ?Second quarter? column.
- Create a new subheader column with the options ?First month?, ?Second month?, and ?Third month?.
- Insert a new row before ?Total to be entered on CN 61 detailed account and, where appropriate, on CN 62 detailed account?. The new row is to be entitled ?Total to be entered on CN 54bis, Actual weight for month?.
- Form CN 62 would have one page for each of the three months within a given quarter, and a fourth page showing the monthly totals from the previous three pages, plus the quarterly total.
Reasons. -- Pursuant to Convention Article RL 217, Statistical counts for exchanges of mail between industrialized countries, administrations develop estimates of ?the number of items per kilogram (ipk) by weighting the average number of items computed separately for each transportation mode and month? (Article RL 211.2.1.1). ?As an alternative, administrations may substitute ? quarter? (Article RL 217.2.1.3). In order to readily reflect the accepted monthly weights to the accepted monthly ipks on form CN54bis, form CN 56 must summarize the monthly weights.
A form CN 55 is completed for each exchange office and reflects the monthly weights received by that exchange office. For administrations with multiple exchange offices, multiple CN 55 forms are then listed on the form CN 56 to provide a quarterly total for all exchange offices. There is no monthly total for all exchange offices.
[End]
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