The Universal Postal Union (UPU) was established in 1875, the year following
the Universal Postal Convention.

It became a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1948.

With permanent headquarters at Bern, Switzerland, the UPU provides information
and technical advice to assist cooperating nations in improving their postal
services.

Under the postal convention, each country pays transportation charges to
members who carry international mail across their borders.  The UPU determines
these charges.

Governing body is the Universal Postal Congress, which meets every five years.
Other parts of the UPU are the Executive Council, which supervises affairs
between UPU meetings; the Consultative Council for Postal Studies, which
conducts continuing research on the operations and problems of the
international postal service; and the International Bureau, the secretariat of
the UPU, which handles day-to-day business operations.