Slovenian candidate Marjan Osvald elected Deputy Director General of the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Ministry of Economic Development and Technology
Newly elected Deputy Director General of the International Bureau Marjan Osvald and newly elected Director General of the International Bureau Masahiko Metoki | Author Ministrstvo za zunanje zadeve
Marjan Osvald is an internationally renowned and respected expert with many years of experience in the postal field. He was elected in the second round of voting with 86 votes. In addition to the Slovenian candidate, representatives of Cameroon, Argentina and Ukraine ran for the position.
The members of the Universal Postal Union also elected the Japanese representative Masahik Metoki as the new Director General of the International Bureau.
The election of the Slovenian representative is a recognition of his work in the postal field and the work of Post of Slovenia at home and within the framework of the Universal Postal Union. Moreover, it is also a sign of Slovenia's reputation in the international community. The election is particularly gratifying given the small number of Slovenes occupying high positions in the United Nations (UN) system. Slovenian diplomacy devotes a lot of attention to the election and appointment of Slovenian representatives to various positions in international organisations and actively strives for greater representation in important positions in international organisations.
The Universal Postal Union is the second oldest international organisation in the world. It was founded in 1874 in Switzerland and has its headquarters in Bern. Its task is to coordinate postal policies and postal systems between 192 member states. It brings together more than 700,000 postal companies worldwide and provides one of the world's most diversified networks. In 1948, it became a specialised agency of the United Nations. It contributes to the development of UN policy and activities directly related to the promotion of social and economic development, and cooperates with other organisations within the UN, such as the International Civil Aviation Organization, World Customs Organization, International Organization for Standardization, International Telecommunication Union, International Criminal Police Organization – Interpol, World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Slovenia has been a member of the Universal Postal Union since 1992.