Climate Action.
Alongside the agreements for opening the UPU and the modernization of postal financial services, the Extraordinary Congress also approved proposals for a historic Green Package, which outlines voluntary climate action targets for the industry aimed at reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and established a framework for climate action, focusing on mitigation, adaptation, and climate finance, supported by a dedicated Climate Facility. The Green Package sets forth a voluntary tiered approach to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the postal sector, recommended based on posts’ capacity to measure emissions and take action. First tier countries would strive to reduce emissions by 30 percent by 2030, with all three tiers working towards a collective 85 percent reduction by 2050. The new Climate Facility, meanwhile, will be established pending voluntary contributions. The United Arab Emirates and Germany pledged their partial financial support during the plenary meeting. Furthermore, the adoption of the Green Package also provides a mechanism for posts to make their green commitments and ambitions more visible, by signing the Postal Climate Transparency Action statement. Oliver Kaliski, Head of International Relations, Mail and Finance Network Division at Austrian Post, led the postal climate action work at the Extraordinary Congress in Riyadh on behalf of Austria. “The adopted Green Package is just the starting point,” he said. “We now have a common goal for the entire UPU membership to reduce emissions. There is now a lot of work to be done, especially in getting the Climate Facility up and running, and for that we need some more voluntary funding. We have crossed the starting line but there is still a lot to do before we can cross the finish line.”