Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU), originally known as Asian Oceanic
Postal Convention is an inter-governmental organization of 32 postal
administrations of the Asian Pacific region.
The objective of APPU is to extend, facilitate, and improve postal
relations between member countries and to promote cooperation in the
field of postal services.
It all started in the 1950s, when the idea of a restricted union
came. After some informal discussion, the Philippine government sent
through diplomatic channels invitations to 18 countries for a roundtable
in Manila. The 1961 Manila Postal Conference was very significant for
APPU because it gave a concrete shape to the concept and drew up the
Asian Oceanic Postal Convention which was signed at Manila on January
23, 1961 by representatives of Australia, China, Korea, New Zealand,
Philippines and Thailand.
The convention was to come into force on April 1, 1962 and on that
date they formed a union among themselves, with four member countries,
namely, China, Korea, Philippines and Thailand. They established its
headquarters in Manila with Enrico Palomar, Postmaster General of
Philippines as its first Director. Since then, whoever is the Postmaster
General of the Postal Administration of the Philippines acts as the
Director of APPU.
In 1983 APPU become affiliated to Universal Postal Union, which is a
specialized agency of the United Nations. The headquarters was relocated
to Bangkok in 2002.
The membership of the Union subsequently increased with the admission
of other countries of the Asian-Pacific region making it today an
inter-governmental body of 32 countries namely; Afghanistan, Australia,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India,
Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Korea, Lao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Maldives,
Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea,
Philippines, Samao, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand,
Tonga, Vanuatu and Vietnam.
(Philippines Postal Authority)
