Vinaya Prakash Singh Reelected APPU Secretary-General
Vinaya Prakash Singh, a 1988 batch officer of the Indian Postal Service, has been reelected as Secretary-General of the Asian-Pacific Postal Union (APPU). He has been reelected for a second consecutive 4-year term.
Asian-Pacific Postal Union:
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Nature | The APPU is an intergovernmental organization. |
| Membership | The APPU comprises 32 member countries of the Asian-Pacific region. |
| Headquarters | The APPU headquarters is in Bangkok, Thailand. |
| Linkage with UPU | The APPU is the only Restricted Union of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in the region. |
| UPU Status | The UPU is a specialized agency of the United Nations dealing with postal services. |
| Mandate | The APPU provides for extending, facilitating, and improving postal relations between member countries, and promotes cooperation in the field of postal services. |
| Regional Role | The APPU decides and pursues the regional stance in response to global postal issues and strategy. |
| Focus Areas | Since its creation in 1961, the APPU has taken the lead in projects for improving quality of services in express, parcels, e-commerce, logistics, letter post, and financial services. |
| UPU Project Role | As the regional centre for various UPU projects, the APPU takes the lead in ensuring that all technical and operational projects of the UPU are fulfilled in the region. |
| Organisational Bodies | The APPU comprises three bodies: Congress (supreme organ, meets not later than 2 years after the UPU congress); Executive Council (comprises all members, meets every year to ensure the work of the union); APPU Bureau (serves liaison, information, inquiry, and training for members). |
| Secretary-General Role | The Secretary-General leads the activities of the Union and is also the Director of the Asian Pacific Postal College (APPC) based in Bangkok. |
| APPC | The APPC is the largest intergovernmental postal training institute in the region. |