Elections to select six elected members of the Management Committee (MC) of the Consultative and Executive Council (CEC) of the Postal Union of the Americas, Spain and Portugal (UPAEP) were held on 21 August. They took place during the constituent meeting of the CEC for the period 2010-1013, as part of the Union's 21st Congress, held from 17 to 21 August in Santiago, Chile.
Portugal, represented by ANACOM, was a member of the Scrutiny Committee and announced the results, which stated that the following countries will join the MC of the CEC for the next four years: Costa Rica (21 votes), Cuba (21 votes), Canada (20 votes), Argentina (19 votes), Paraguay (19 votes) and the Dominican Republic (17 votes). Spain and El Salvador, receiving 16 and 11 votes respectively, were not elected. Chile, as Chair of the CEC, will chair the MC, given its role as Congress host.
The Congress brought together plenipotentiaries of the member countries and territories of the Union. The Portuguese Delegation included the Portuguese Ambassador in Santiago, as well as representatives of ANACOM and CTT.
There was discussion of financial matters, including the budget for the next four years, the approval of budget ceilings and the value of the contributory unit, as well as the reform and development of the postal sector in the region. It is intended that this development will be achieved through technical cooperation, both between member countries and through close collaboration with other international organisations, such as the Universal Postal Union (UPU). The 21st Congress was marked by prudence and restraint in financial matters, given the environment of the current global economic and financial crisis.
The host country of the next UPAEP Congress, to be held in 2013, remains undecided since Spain, the only candidate to host the event, withdrew its invitation.
