Seychelles Hosts 2024 SIDS Postal Forum at Beau Vallon
VICTORIA, Seychelles, The 2024 SIDS Postal Forum opened yesterday at the Savoy Resort and Spa in Beau Vallon, bringing together leaders and experts from the postal sector across Small Island Developing States. The event is being organised by the Seychelles Postal Services in partnership with the Universal Postal Union (UPU). It is intended as a platform for sharing experiences, debating common challenges and exploring new avenues for cooperation among member states.
It was the Minister for Finance, National Planning and Trade, Naadir Hassan, who opened the forum under the theme Postal Digitalisation, Integration and Innovation: Sustainable Growth Boosters for SIDS. In his address, the minister noted that the chosen theme reflects the shared determination of small island states to use digital tools to modernise their postal services and to better integrate with the wider global postal network. The forum is expected to produce a set of recommendations that will guide future work in the region.
The event brings together SIDS leaders and postal-sector experts, along with prominent e-commerce businesses operating in the region. Participants will debate, discuss, learn and share experiences on a range of topics including cross-border parcel handling, the use of digital identity in postal operations, and the role of postal networks in supporting financial inclusion in remote communities. Several island nations have also brought delegations to share their own national experiences with the rest of the group.
Officials from the Seychelles Postal Services said the hosting of the forum represents an important recognition of the country long-standing engagement with the UPU. Hosting the event also provides an opportunity to showcase local innovations in postal service delivery and to learn from the experiences of other small island states facing similar logistical challenges. The local organising team has worked closely with the UPU secretariat in Berne to ensure that the programme meets international standards.
The forum is expected to run over several days, with a combination of plenary sessions, technical workshops and side events. A formal communiqué outlining the main outcomes and agreed actions is anticipated at the close of the meeting. The Seychelles Postal Services has indicated that the outcomes of the forum will be shared with interested parties and the public through its official communication channels in the days that follow.
