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World Post Day: History, significance and all you need to know about this day
World Post Day 2021: The day marks the establishment of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1874 in Switzerland that revolutionised the mode of communication through the help of letters.
World Post Day is observed every year on October 9 to mark the establishment of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and the creation of the revolutionary mode of communication with letters in the everyday lives of the people. Before the age of e-mails, letters used to be handwritten and delivered by post across the world. Even today, postal services hold a significant role in the delivery of parcels globally.
“On World Post Day, we recognize the invaluable contributions of postal workers to our societies and economies. The vast postal network – involving millions of workers moving billions of pieces of mail through hundreds of thousands of post offices – is woven into our societies, connecting communities the world over,” a message from the United Nations secretary general António Guterres read.
History and significance of World Post Day
World Post Day is celebrated in remembrance of the foundation of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1874 in Bern, Switzerland. Celebrated across 151 countries, it was first declared as the World Post Day by the UPU Congress held in Tokyo, Japan, in 1969. In India, too, the day acknowledges the beginning of National Postal week, celebrated from October 9 to October 15.
Member nations around the globe use this day to launch new postal initiatives and hold special exhibitions to raise awareness about the importance of postal services in everyday lives and its contribution to the social and economic development of countries.
Theme of World Post Day 2021
The theme for this year’s World Post Day is “Innovate to Recover” to highlight the plight of postal systems in the changing times of a digital revolution and how it is adapting to new realities and redefining itself, taking on new roles founded on digitalisation, e-commerce and financial services.
"Together, let us learn the lessons arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, and understand that innovation is not an accessory; it is the driving force behind recovery, and what makes this sector crucial to billions of people," the UPU director said.
Interestingly, amid the coronavirus pandemic, postal services have also been used to deliver vaccines in many parts of the world.
