According to a recent press release, Charles A. Prescott '69, P'12 won a second four-year term as chair of the Consultative Committee to the Universal Postal Union (UPU) at the Committee's first plenary congress in Geneva, Switzerland. The UPU is a special body of the United Nations that serves as a forum for the discussion of the development and refinement of the international postal network. The UPU established the Consultative Committee in 2004 to provide advice on issues unique to the postal sector.
The Committee, which Prescott has overseen since its inception at the UPU Bucharest conference in 2004, is largely a response to new challenges facing the postal sector. In recent years, corporations and private enterprises have taken over the operation of many posts around the world, which has made more difficult the task of maintaining international standards of efficiency, quality of service, fair competition, and customer satisfaction. The Committee represents primarily the interests of postal customers and private competitors for postal operation, as opposed to those of public operators and governments.
In his second term, Prescott will focus the Committee on developing a global address delivery point database, as well as address systems in developing nations. According to the press release, approximately two-thirds of the world's nations do not have address systems.
Murray Buchanan, Director of International Relations at Royal Mail, expressed confidence in Prescott, saying, "I can think of no more dedicated or energetic leadership for our Committee. Mr. Prescott has worked tirelessly to make the Committee an effective consultative body to the UPU and to represent all interests."
