Fifth Additional Protocol to the General Regulations of the Universal Postal Union

Table of contents

Article

I. (Article 101 amended) Organization and convening of Congresses and Extraordinary Congresses

II. (Article 105 amended) Observers to the Union's bodies

III. (Article 106 amended) Composition and functioning of the CA

IV. (Article 110 amended) Reimbursement of travel expenses and payment of allowances to the Chair

V. (Article 111 amended) Information on the activities of the CA

VI. (Article 112 amended) Composition and functioning of the POC

VII. (Article 116 amended) Reimbursement of travel expenses and payment of allowances to the Chair

VIII. (Article 117 amended) Information on the activities of the POC

IX. (Article 122 amended) Functions of the CC

X. (Article 126 amended) Information on the activities of the CC

XI. (Article 127 amended) Election of the Director General and Deputy Director General of the International Bureau

XII. (Article 128 amended) Duties of the Director General

XIII. (Article 135 deleted) Forms supplied by the International Bureau

XIV. (Article 136 amended) Acts of Regional Unions and Special Agreements

XV. (Article 138 amended) Annual report on the work of the Union

XVI. (Article 146 amended) Fixing of the expenditure of the Union

XVII. (Article 147 amended) Regulation of member countries' contributions

XVIII. (Article 151 amended) Contribution classes

XIX. Entry into force and duration of the Additional Protocol to the General Regulations of the Universal Postal Union

Fifth Additional Protocol to the General Regulations of the Universal Postal Union

The plenipotentiaries of the governments of the member countries of the Universal Postal Union, having met in Congress at Dubai, in view of article 29.2 of the Constitution of the Universal Postal Union concluded at Vienna on 10 July 1964, have, by common consent and subject to article 24.3 and 5 of the said Constitution, adopted the following amendments to the General Regulations.

Article I
(Article 101 amended)
Organization and convening of Congresses and Extraordinary Congresses

1 The representatives of member countries shall meet in Congress not later than four years after the end of the year during which the preceding Congress took place.

2 Each member country shall arrange for its representation at Congress by one or more plenipotentiaries furnished by their Government with the necessary powers. It may, if need be, arrange to be represented by the delegation of another member country. Nevertheless it shall be understood that a delegation may represent only one member country other than its own.

3 In principle, each Congress shall designate the country in which the next Congress will be held. If that designation proves inapplicable, the Council of Administration shall be authorized to designate the country where Congress is to meet, after consultation with the latter country. This paragraph shall be without prejudice to any provisions in the Rules of Procedure of Congresses that may permit or limit remote participation at Congress.

4 After consultation with the International Bureau, the host Government shall fix the definitive date and the precise locality of Congress. In principle one year before that date, the host Government shall send an invitation to the Government of each member country of the Union. This invitation may be sent direct or through the intermediary of another Government or through the Director General of the International Bureau.

5 When a Congress has to be convened without a host Government, the International Bureau, with the agreement of the Council of Administration and after consultation with the Government of the Swiss Confederation, shall take the necessary steps to convene and organize the Congress in the country in which the seat of the Union is situated. In this event, the International Bureau shall perform the functions of the host government.

6 The meeting place of an Extraordinary Congress shall be fixed, after consultation with the International Bureau, by the member countries which have initiated that Congress.

7 Paragraphs 2 to 5 and article 102 shall be applicable by analogy to Extraordinary Congresses.

Article II
(Article 105 amended)
Observers to the Union's bodies

1 The following entities shall be invited to participate in the plenary sessions and committee meetings of Congress, the Council of Administration and the Postal Operations Council as observers:

1.1 the United Nations;

1.2 Regional Unions;

1.3 members of the Consultative Committee;

1.4 entities authorized to attend Union meetings as observers by virtue of a resolution or decision of Congress.

2 The following entities, if duly designated by the Council of Administration in accordance with article 107.1.12 shall be invited to attend specific meetings of Congress as ad hoc observers:

2.1 specialized agencies of the United Nations and other intergovernmental organizations;

2.2 any international body, any association or enterprise, or any qualified person.

3 In addition to the observers defined in paragraph 1 of this article, the Council of Administration and the Postal Operations Council may designate ad hoc observers to attend their meetings in accordance with their Rules of Procedure, when this is in the interests of the Union and its bodies.

Article III
(Article 106 amended)
Composition and functioning of the CA

1 The Council of Administration shall consist of forty-one members who shall exercise their functions during the period between two successive Congresses.

2 The role of Chair shall devolve by right on the host member country of Congress. If that member country waives this right, it shall become a de jure member and, as a result, the geographical group to which it belongs shall have at its disposal an additional seat, to which the restrictive provisions of paragraph 3 shall not apply. In that case, the Council of Administration shall elect as Chair one of the members belonging to the geographical group of the host member country.

3 The forty other members of the Council of Administration shall be elected by Congress on the basis of an equitable geographical distribution. At least a half of the membership is renewed at each Congress; no member country may be chosen by three successive Congresses. Without prejudice to the foregoing, one seat in the geographical group to which member countries defined as Pacific Island countries and territories (as per the relevant list established by the United Nations) belong shall be reserved for those member countries.

4 Each member of the Council of Administration shall appoint its representative(s). The members of the Council of Administration shall take an active part in its work.

5 Except as otherwise stipulated in article 110, the office of member of the Council of Administration shall be unpaid. The operational expenses of this Council shall be borne by the Union.

6 The CA shall define, formalize and/or set up the standing groups and task forces or other bodies to be established within its structure, with due regard being paid to the Union's strategy and business plan adopted by Congress.

Article IV
(Article 110 amended)
Reimbursement of travel expenses and payment of allowances to the Chair

1 The travel expenses of representatives of members of the Council of Administration participating in its meetings shall be borne by their member country. However, other than for meetings that take place during Congress, one representative of each of the member countries classified as developing or least developed countries according to the lists established, respectively, by the Council of Administration and the United Nations shall be entitled to reimbursement of the price of an economy class return air ticket and/or first class return rail ticket, or expenses incurred for travel by any other means. The amount reimbursed for travelling by rail or by any other means shall not exceed the price of the economy class return air ticket. The same entitlement shall be granted to each member of its Committees or other bodies when these meet outside Congress and the sessions of the Council.

2 Moreover, in the event that a member country classified as one of the developing or least developed countries according to the aforementioned lists is the Chair of the Council of Administration, one representative thereof shall be entitled to the same reimbursement as set forth in paragraph 1, as well as daily subsistence allowances (to be paid by analogy with the conditions applied to Union staff members), for participation in that capacity in meetings of the Council of Administration, the Postal Operations Council, the Coordination Committee for the Permanent Bodies of the Union and the Management Board of the Provident Scheme of the Union.

Article V
(Article 111 amended)
Information on the activities of the CA

1 After each session, the Council of Administration shall inform the member countries and their designated operators, the Regional Unions and the members of the Consultative Committee about its activities by sending them, inter alia, a summary record and its resolutions and decisions.

2 The Council of Administration shall make to Congress a comprehensive report on its work and send it to the member countries of the Union, their designated operators and the members of the Consultative Committee at least two months before the opening of Congress.

Article VI
(Article 112 amended)
Composition and functioning of the POC

1 The Postal Operations Council shall consist of forty-eight members who shall exercise their functions during the period between successive Congresses.

1bis The role of Chair shall devolve to the member country of the Postal Operations Council duly elected in accordance with article 114, as well as any relevant procedures set forth in this article and the Rules of Procedure of the Postal Operations Council.

1ter At least eight months before the opening of Congress, the Director General of the International Bureau shall send a memorandum to the Governments of member countries inviting them to submit their candidacy, as a member country, for the position of Chair of the Postal Operations Council. Such candidacies shall reach the International Bureau at least six months before the opening of Congress.

1quater Hearings with the candidate member countries shall be conducted after the expiration of the six-month deadline referred to in paragraph 1ter and during the last Postal Operations Council session prior to Congress, in accordance with the specific procedures defined in the Rules of Procedure of the Postal Operations Council. Hearings shall be open to all Union member countries, and may also be open to non-member country observers, subject to the relevant provisions of article 105 as well as the aforementioned Rules of Procedure. Each candidate member country shall be invited to make a brief statement, including its vision for the Postal Operations Council, to be followed by a question-and-answer session; equal time shall be allocated to each candidate member country. Where there is only one candidate member country, no such hearing shall be held.

2 The members of the Postal Operations Council shall be elected by Congress on the basis of qualified geographical distribution. At least one third of the members of each geographical group shall be renewed at each Congress. Without prejudice to the foregoing, one seat in the geographical group to which member countries defined as Pacific Island countries and territories (as per the relevant list established by the United Nations) belong shall be reserved for those member countries.

3 Each member of the Postal Operations Council shall appoint its representative(s). The members of the Postal Operations Council shall take an active part in its work.

4 Except as otherwise stipulated in article 116, the office of member of the Postal Operations Council shall be unpaid. The operational expenses of this Council shall be borne by the Union.

5 The Postal Operations Council shall define, formalize and/or set up the standing groups, task forces, user-funded subsidiary bodies or other bodies to be established within its structure, with due regard being paid to the Union's strategy and business plan adopted by Congress.

Article VII
(Article 116 amended)
Reimbursement of travel expenses and payment of allowances to the Chair

1 The travel expenses of representatives of members of the Postal Operations Council participating in its meetings shall be borne by their member country. However, other than for meetings that take place during Congress, one representative of each of the member countries classified as least developed countries according to the list established by the United Nations shallbe entitled to reimbursement of the price of an economy class return air ticket and/or first class return rail ticket, or expenses incurred for travel by any other means. The amount reimbursed for travelling by rail or by any other means shall not exceed the price of the economy class return air ticket.

2 Moreover, in the event that a member country classified as one of the least developed countries according to the aforementioned list is the Chair of the Postal Operations Council, one representative thereof shall be entitled to the same reimbursement as set forth in paragraph 1, as well as daily subsistence allowances (to be paid by analogy with the conditions applied to Union staff members), for participation in that capacity in meetings of the Postal Operations Council, the Council of Administration and the Coordination Committee for the Permanent Bodies of the Union.

Article VIII
(Article 117 amended)
Information on the activities of the POC

1 After each session, the Postal Operations Council shall inform the member countries and their designated operators, the Regional Unions and the members of the Consultative Committee about its activities by sending them, inter alia, a summary record and its resolutions and decisions.

2 The Postal Operations Council shall prepare for the Council of Administration an annual report on its work.

3 The Postal Operations Council shall make to Congress a comprehensive report on its work, including reports on user-funded subsidiary bodies as provided for in article 153, and send it to member countries of the Union, their designated operators and members of the Consultative Committee at least two months before the opening of Congress.

Article IX
(Article 122 amended)
Functions of the CC

1 The Consultative Committee shall have the following functions:

1.1 Examines documents and reports of the Council of Administration and the Postal Operations Council, and their respective bodies. In exceptional circumstances, the right to receive certain texts and documents may be restricted if the confidentiality of the subject of the meeting or document so requires, in accordance with articles 109.2.3 and 115.2.3.

1.2 Conducts and contributes to studies of issues of importance to the Consultative Committee's members.

1.2bis Subject to the approval of the Council of Administration, and also subject to examination and comments by the Postal Operations Council when matters of interest to that body are involved, coordinates and facilitates implementation of postal sector projects involving members of the Consultative Committee, potentially in partnership with the governmental authorities of member countries and/or their designated operators.

1.3 Considers issues affecting the postal sector and provides input on such issues in the form of proposals, opinions and reports to the Council of Administration and Postal Operations Council, and their respective bodies, as appropriate.

1.4 Submits proposals and reports to Congress, subject to the approval of the Council of Administration and in the name of the latter and, when matters of interest to the Postal Operations Council are involved, subject to examination and comments by the Postal Operations Council in accordance with articles 107.1.21 and 113.1.7.

Article X
(Article 126 amended)
Information on the activities of the CC

1 After each session, the Consultative Committee shall inform the Council of Administration and the Postal Operations Council of its activities by sending to the Chairs of those bodies, inter alia, a summary record of its meetings and its recommendations and views. The Chair of the Consultative Committee, or another designated representative of the Consultative Committee, shall also report on the activities of the Consultative Committee at each plenary session of the Council of Administration and the Postal Operations Council respectively.

2 The Consultative Committee shall make to the Council of Administration and the Postal Operations Council an annual activity report. This report shall be included in the documentation of the Council of Administration and the Postal Operations Council provided to member countries of the Union, to their designated operators and to the Regional Unions, in accordance with articles 111 and 117.

3 The Consultative Committee shall make to Congress a comprehensive report on its work and send it to the member countries and their designated operators at least two months before the opening of Congress.

Article XI
(Article 127 amended)
Election of the Director General and Deputy Director General of the International Bureau

1 The Director General and the Deputy Director General of the International Bureau shall be elected by Congress for the period between two successive Congresses, the minimum duration of their term of office being four years. Their term of office shall be renewable once only. Unless Congress decides otherwise, the date on which they take up their duties shall be fixed at 1 January of the year following that in which Congress is held.

2 At least eight months before the opening of Congress, the Director General of the International Bureau shall send a memorandum to the Governments of member countries inviting them to submit their applications, if any, for the posts of Director General and Deputy Director General and indicating at the same time whether the Director General and Deputy Director General in office are interested in a renewal of their initial term of office. The applications, accompanied by a curriculum vitae, must reach the International Bureau at least six months before the opening of Congress. The candidates must be nationals of the member countries which put them forward. The International Bureau shall prepare the election documents for Congress. The election of the Director General and that of the Deputy Director General shall take place by secret ballot, the first election being for the post of Director General.

2bis Hearings with the candidates for the posts of Director General and Deputy Director General shall be conducted after the expiration of the six-month deadline referred to in paragraph 2 and during the last Council of Administration session prior to Congress, in accordance with the specific procedures defined in the Rules of Procedure of the Council of Administration. Hearings shall be open to all Union member countries, and may also be open to non-member-country observers, subject to the relevant provisions of article 105 as well as the aforementioned Rules of Procedure. Each candidate shall be invited to make a brief statement, including their vision for the Union, to be followed by a question-and-answer session; equal time shall be allocated to each candidate. Where there is only one candidate for the post of Director General or Deputy Director General, no such hearing shall be held for the post in question.

3 If the post of Director General falls vacant, the Deputy Director General shall take over the functions of Director General until the expiry of the latter's term of office; the Deputy Director General shall be eligible for election to that post and shall automatically be accepted as a candidate, provided that the initial term of office as Deputy Director General has not already been renewed once by the preceding Congress and that the Deputy Director General declares interest in being considered as a candidate for the post of Director General.

4 If the posts of Director General and Deputy Director General fall vacant at the same time, the Council of Administration shall elect, on the basis of the applications received following notification of the vacancies, a Deputy Director General for the period extending up to the next Congress. With regard to the submission of applications, paragraph 2 shall apply by analogy.

5 If the post of Deputy Director General falls vacant, the Council of Administration shall, on the proposal of the Director General, instruct one of the grade D 2 Directors at the International Bureau to take over the functions of Deputy Director General until the following Congress.

Article XII
(Article 128 amended)
Duties of the Director General

1 The Director General shall be the legal representative of the Union.

2 The Director General shall organize, administer and direct the International Bureau.

3 Regarding the classification of posts, appointments and promotions:

3.1 the Director General shall be empowered to classify posts in grades G 1 to D 2 and to appoint and promote officials in those grades.

3.2 for appointments in grades P 1 to D 2, the Director General shall consider the professional qualifications of the candidates who are nationals of a member country or who exercise their professional activities in a member country, taking into account equitable geographical and language distribution, and gender balance. D 2 posts shall as far as possible be filled by candidates from different regions and from regions other than those from which the Director General and Deputy Director General originate, bearing in mind the paramount consideration of the efficiency of the International Bureau;

3.3 the Director General shall also consider, for the appointment of a new official, that, in principle, persons occupying grade D 2, D 1 and P 5 posts must be nationals of different member countries of the Union;

3.4 for the promotion of an official of the International Bureau to grades D 2, D 1 and P 5, the Director General shall not be bound to apply the same principle as under 3.3;

3.5 the requirements of equitable geographical and language distribution and gender balance shall rank behind merit in the recruitment process;

3.6 the Director General shall inform the Council of Administration once a year of appointments and promotions in grades P 4 to D 2.

4 Furthermore, the Director General shall have the following duties:

4.1 acts as depositary of the Acts of the Union and as intermediary in the procedure of accession and admission to and withdrawal from the Union;

4.2 notifies the decisions taken by Congress to all the Governments of member countries;

4.3 notifies all member countries and their designated operators of the Regulations drawn up or revised by the Postal Operations Council;

4.4 prepares the draft annual budget of the Union at the lowest possible level consistent with the requirements of the Union and submits it in due course to the Council of Administration for consideration; communicates the budget to the member countries of the Union after approval by the Council of Administration and executes it;

4.5 executes the specific activities requested by the bodies of the Union and those assigned to the Director General by the Acts;

4.6 takes action to achieve the objectives set by the bodies of the Union, within the framework of the established policy and the funds available;

4.7 submits suggestions and proposals to the Council of Administration or to the Postal Operations Council;

4.8 following the close of Congress, submits proposals to the Postal Operations Council concerning changes to the Regulations required as a result of Congress decisions, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the Postal Operations Council;

4.9 prepares, for the Council of Administration and on the basis of directives issued by the Councils, the draft Union Strategy and draft quadrennial UPU business plan to be submitted to Congress;

4.10 prepares, for approval by the Council of Administration, a four-yearly report on the member countries' performance in respect of the Union Strategy approved by the preceding Congress, which will be submitted to the following Congress;

4.11 acts as an intermediary in relations between:

4.11.1 the Union and the Regional Unions;

4.11.2 the Union and the United Nations;

4.11.3 the Union and the international organizations whose activities are of interest to the Union;

4.11.4 the Union and the international organizations or the associations or enterprises that the bodies of the Union wish to consult or associate with their work;

4.12 assumes the duties of Secretary General of the bodies of the Union and supervises in this capacity, taking into account the special provisions of these General Regulations, in particular:

4.12.1 the preparation and organization of the work of the Union's bodies;

4.12.2 the preparation, production and distribution of documents, reports and minutes;

4.12.3 the functioning of the secretariat at meetings of the Union's bodies;

4.13 attends the meetings of the bodies of the Union and takes part in the discussions without the right to vote, with the possibility of being represented.

Article XIII
(Article 135 deleted)
Forms supplied by the International Bureau

Article XIV
(Article 136 amended)
Acts of Regional Unions and Special Agreements

1 Two copies of the Acts of Regional Unions and of Special Agreements concluded under article 9 of the Constitution shall be sent to the International Bureau by the offices of such Unions, or failing that, by one of the contracting parties.

2 The International Bureau shall see that the Acts of Regional Unions and Special Agreements do not include conditions less favourable to the public than those which are provided for in the Acts of the Union. It shall notify the Council of Administration of any irregularity discovered through applying this provision.

3 The International Bureau shall inform member countries and their designated operators of the existence of the Regional Unions and the Special Agreements mentioned above.

Article XV
(Article 138 amended)
Annual report on the work of the Union

The International Bureau shall make an annual report on the work of the Union, which shall be sent, after approval by the Management Committee of the Council of Administration, to member countries and/or designated operators, the Regional Unions and the United Nations.

Article XVI
(Article 146 amended)
Fixing of the expenditure of the Union

1 Subject to the provisions of paragraphs 2 to 6, the annual expenditure relating to the activities of bodies of the Union may not exceed 39,512,270 Swiss francs for the years 2026 to 2029. In the event that the Congress planned for 2029 is postponed, this ceiling shall also apply to the post-2029 period.

2 The expenditure relating to the convening of the next Congress (travelling expenses of the secretariat, transport charges, cost of installing simultaneous interpretation equipment, cost of reproducing documents during the Congress, etc.) shall not exceed the limit of 2,900,000 Swiss francs.

3 The Council of Administration shall be authorized to exceed the limits laid down in paragraphs 1 and 2 to take account of increases in salary scales, pension contributions or allowances, including post adjustments, approved by the United Nations for application to its staff working in Geneva.

4 The Council of Administration shall also be authorized to adjust, each year, the amount of expenditure other than that relating to staff on the basis of the Swiss consumer price index.

5 Notwithstanding paragraph 1, the Council of Administration, or in case of extreme urgency, the Director General, may authorize the prescribed limits to be exceeded to meet the cost of major and unforeseen repairs to the International Bureau building, provided however that the amount of the increase does not exceed 125,000 Swiss francs per annum.

6 If the credits authorized in paragraphs 1 and 2 prove inadequate to ensure the smooth running of the Union, these limits may only be exceeded with the approval of the majority of the member countries of the Union. Any consultation shall include a complete description of the facts justifying such a request.

Article XVII
(Article 147 amended)
Regulation of member countries' contributions

1 Countries which accede to the Union or are admitted to the status of members of the Union as well as those which leave the Union shall pay their contributions for the whole of the year during which their admission or withdrawal becomes effective.

2 Member countries shall pay their contributions to the Union's annual expenditure in advance on the basis of the budget laid down by the Council of Administration. These contributions shall be paid not later than the first day of the financial year to which the budget refers. After that date, the sums due shall be chargeable with interest in favour of the Union at the rate of 5% per annum from the fourth month.

3 Where the arrears of mandatory contributions, not including interest, owed to the Union by a member country are equal to or more than the amount of the contributions of that member country for the preceding two financial years, such member country may irrevocably assign to the Union all or part of the credits owed it by other member countries, in accordance with the arrangements laid down by the Council of Administration. The conditions of this assignment of credit shall be determined by agreement reached between the member country, its debtors/creditors and the Union.

4 A member country which, for legal or other reasons, cannot make such an assignment must undertake to conclude a schedule for the amortization of its arrears with the Union. Nevertheless, if the member country concerned does not comply with the conditions (including payment terms) established in the aforementioned amortization schedule, it shall not be able to conclude a new amortization schedule with the Union until the next Congress cycle, unless the Council of Administration decides otherwise, at the latest during its last session held before Congress, upon a duly justified request by the member country concerned to the effect that such non-compliance was attributable to exceptional circumstances.

5 Other than in exceptional circumstances as decided by Congress or the Council of Administration, recovery of arrears of mandatory contributions owed to the Union may not extend over more than ten years. In cases where Congress or the Council of Administration approves a payment agreement longer than twenty years, the minimum amount of the annual arrears contribution should be at least equal to the annual contribution of the member country signatory to the agreement.

6 Also in exceptional circumstances, as decided by Congress or the Council of Administration, either body may release a member country from all or part of the interest owed if that country has paid the full principal amount of its debts in arrears.

7 In similarly exceptional circumstances, Congress or the Council of Administration may, upon written request of the member country concerned, decide to release that member country from its debts in arrears and immediately lift the automatic sanctions imposed against it, subject to payment of an amount at least equivalent to one half of the total amount of debts in arrears (excluding any interest incurred thereon) owed by that member country.

8 Congress or the Council of Administration may also, upon written request of a member country with long-standing debts in arrears, decide to exceptionally release that member country from its debts in arrears and immediately lift the automatic sanctions imposed against it, provided the member country concerned pays its last five years of mandatory contributions to the Union's annual expenditure (including the current financial year and excluding any interest incurred thereon).

8.1 For the purposes of paragraph 8, "long-standing debts in arrears" shall be defined as any amounts in arrears (including interest) pertaining to mandatory contributions to the Union's annual expenditure incurred over a period longer than the last five financial years.

8.2 Equally for the purposes of paragraph 8 and specifically in the case of least developed countries and small island developing states as defined in article 151.1, Congress or the Council of Administration may exceptionally determine that the "last five years of mandatory contributions" of the member country concerned shall be calculated on the basis of the current contribution class to which that member country belongs, in which case the relevant current contribution class amount shall be multiplied five times.

9 In the case of least developed countries and small island developing states, as defined in article 151.1, that are authorized to benefit from either of the exceptional payment arrangements outlined in paragraphs 7 and 8 of this article, at least 50% of the amounts paid by the member country concerned shall be earmarked for Union-led postal technical assistance projects aimed at benefiting that same member country.

10 Any principal or interest amounts released in the framework of the exceptional payment arrangements outlined in paragraphs 7 and 8 of this article shall not be cancelled, but set aside and provisioned by the Union in accordance with its relevant financial rules. In the event the member country concerned subsequently falls under automatic sanctions, the aforementioned amounts shall once more be registered by the Union, with immediate effect, as debts in arrears for the member country in question.

11 A member country may also be released, within the framework of an amortization schedule approved by the Council of Administration for its accounts in arrears, from all or part of the interest accumulated or to accrue; such release shall, however, be subject to the full and punctual execution of the amortization schedule within an agreed period of ten years at most.

12 The provisions under paragraphs 3 to 11 apply by analogy to the translation costs billed by the International Bureau to member countries belonging to the language groups.

13 The International Bureau shall send bills to member countries at least three months before their due date. The original bills shall be sent to the correct address provided by the member country concerned. Electronic copies of the bills shall be sent via e-mail as pre-advice or alerts.

14 Furthermore, the International Bureau shall provide member countries with clear information each time it charges them interest on overdue payment of particular bills, so that member countries can easily verify to which bills the interest corresponds.

Article XVIII
(Article 151 amended)
Contribution classes

1 Member countries shall contribute to defraying Union expenses according to the contribution class to which they belong. The structure of the contribution classes shall commence at one unit and rise in incremental one-unit steps to a level defined with reference to the most recent scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations. Member countries shall choose their contribution class on the basis of their economic capacity while considering the aforementioned scale of assessments. The member countries listed by the United Nations as the least developed countries shall pay half a contribution unit. Small island developing states with a population of less than 200,000 (as listed by the United Nations) shall pay one tenth of a contribution unit.

2 Notwithstanding the contribution classes listed in paragraph 1, any member country may elect to con­tribute a higher number of units, for a minimum term equivalent to the period between Congresses. The announcement of a change shall be made at the latest at Congress. At the end of the period between Congresses, the member country shall return automatically to its original number of contribution units unless it decides to maintain its contribution of a higher number of units. The payment of additional contributions will increase the expenditure accordingly.

3 Member countries shall choose their number of units upon their admission or accession to the Union, while considering the most recent scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations, in accordance with the procedure laid down in article 20.4 of the Constitution.

4 Member countries paying above the economic capacities assessed through reference to the scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations shall have the right to reduce their number of units by up to a maximum of two units per Congress cycle, provided that this does not result in a lower contribution than they would pay under the current scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations. The cost of any such reduction in the number of contribution units shall be borne by member countries in accordance with the procedures laid down in paragraph 8 below. Conversely, member countries paying at a level below their economic capacity, as assessed through reference to the scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations, shall be invited to increase their number of contribution units by at least two per Congress cycle until they have reached the level of the current scale of assessments referred to above. Those member countries that fail to do so shall not benefit from the reduced amount of the contribution unit as per the procedures laid down in paragraph 8 below.

5 Nevertheless, in exceptional circumstances such as natural disasters necessitating international aid programmes, the Council of Administration may authorize a temporary reduction in contribution class once between two Congresses when so requested by a member country if the said member establishes that it can no longer maintain its contribution at the class originally chosen.

6 The temporary reduction in contribution class in application of paragraph 5 may be authorized by the Council of Administration for a maximum period of two years or up to the next Congress, whichever is earlier. On expiry of the specified period, the country concerned shall automatically revert to its original contribution class.

7 Changes to a higher class shall not be subject to any restriction.

8 The International Bureau shall calculate the relevant baseline and reduced contribution unit amounts in accordance with the following parameters.

8.1 In the event of a gross reduction¹ in the number of contribution units, any resulting increase in the baseline (i.e. non-reduced) and reduced contribution unit amounts shall be borne in solidarity by all member countries, in proportion to the existing baseline and reduced contribution unit amounts.

8.2 In the event of a gross increase² in the number of contribution units and/or subsequent member country ineligibility to benefit from the reduced contribution unit amount, any further reduction in the amount of the reduced contribution unit shall solely benefit member countries paying at or above their economic capacity, and member countries paying at a level below their economic capacity and that increase their number of contribution units by at least two per Congress cycle.

9 The procedures outlined in paragraph 8 shall not apply to any changes in the amount of the baseline and reduced contribution units resulting from: i) the exceptional circumstances described in paragraphs 5 and 6; or ii) any adjustments in the expenditure of the Union as decided by the Council of Administration. In these cases, the cost of any such changes shall be distributed in proportion to the existing baseline and reduced contribution unit amounts and borne in solidarity by all member countries.

Article XIX
Entry into force and duration of the Additional Protocol to the General Regulations of the Universal Postal Union

This Additional Protocol shall come into force on 1 January 2027 (with the exception of articles III, IV, VII, IX, XVI and XVIII, as well as the amendments made to paragraph 4 of article VI, which shall come into force on 1 January 2026), and shall remain in force for an indefinite period.

In witness whereof the plenipotentiaries of the governments of the member countries have drawn up this Additional Protocol, which shall have the same force and the same validity as if its provisions were inserted in the text of the General Regulations itself, and they have signed it in a single original which shall be deposited with the Director General of the International Bureau. A copy thereof shall be delivered to each member country by the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union.

Done at Dubai, 19 September 2025.

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