18Th Conference, British Virgin Islands

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CPU 2015 PMG M DOC 3

18th Conference, British Virgin Islands

Management Board report

I. Subject:

Presentation of the Management Board report to the 18th Conference

II. Decision required:

Conference is urged to take note of the report

Introduction

1. The Management Board comprising Anguilla, Barbados, Bermuda (Chair), Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom and Virgin Islands met in Bermuda on 11 September 2014 and by conference calls from January to August 2015 from 10.00 am to 12.00 pm to ensure the continuity of the Union’s work and administer the Union’s affairs in accordance with Convention Article 11.1.

Mr. Allan Wayne Smith (Bermuda) chaired the Management Board meetings. Ms. Sandra Davoren Secretary General and Ms. Loretta I Charlemagne, Technical Officer provided administrative support to the Board.

2. This report on the work of the Management Board (MB) for the period September 2014 to August 2015 is submitted to the 18th Conference of the Caribbean Postal Union in accordance with Article 12.1.m of the CPU Convention.

3. Conference is invited to take note of the report.

Overview of the Work of the Management Board

1. Meeting of September 11, 2014, Bermuda:

Strategic direction

The first session of the 2014 to 2016 Management Board (MB) reviewed the strategic direction which the Board should pursue and the feasibility of obtaining “wow” ideas from members for the 2015 Conference and Council’s meeting.

The MB agreed to concentrate on:

 Coordinating the task force on postal reform  The resolutions adopted by the 2014 Conference  Coordinating the Congress Preparatory Committee  Postal reform  The Training Centre, as well as its curriculum, courses, support, enrolment, etc. and a report from the secretariat.

2. Meeting of 15 January 2015 a. UPU World Postal Strategy

The MB sought clarification on the proposed UPU’s World Strategy Conference which was highlighted in the report on the 3rd Coordination meeting with Restricted Unions. b. Development of Point of Sale System: Conference resolution: CPU 2014 PMG M DOC 25 (a)

Escher Group’s proposal entitled “Small Post proposal on Counter automation” based on the 17th Conference adoption of resolution CPU 2014 PMG M DOC 25 (a) was reviewed.

The MB agreed to the following:

 Escher Group’s financial proposal was prohibitive  CPU should bargain for a more affordable price  CPU should invite another firm (s) to submit a proposal  CPU should approach the UPU Postal Technology Centre (PTC) for technical support and guidance  An analysis of the Region’s needs to be conducted which should indicate the financial year in which members would like to migrate to an

automated system and the number of points to be automated per financial year  Submission of a generic counter specification to the Secretariat by TT to facilitate the sourcing of other proposals c. MB Strategic direction

With the focus on its strategic direction, the MB agreed to the following:

 Conference/Council Meeting: The issuance of Briefs for the guidance of PMGs and Ministers and issuance of Calls to members for suggestions regarding conference theme and sub theme.

 Task force on Reform/Transformation: Mobilisation of the task force on postal reform.

 Congress Preparatory Committee: The convening of a meeting of the Congress Preparatory Committee for the planning of its strategy. The first meeting would be held by conference call. d. Financial issues

The MB noted the completion of the 2014 financial statement including the Auditor’s financial report and agreed to await receipt of the documents for discussion at the next MB’s meeting.

The MB also noted the delay in updating members’ subscription accounts due to omission of member country’s names by the corresponding banks.

The MB called on the Secretariat to invite members to submit a copy of their banks’ transfer statement upon finalisation of the transaction to the Secretariat for verification purposes. e. Development of mutual cooperation between CPU and Cuba

The MB noted the discussion with the Ambassador of Cuba in Saint Lucia on the development of mutual cooperation between Cuba and CPU which would require Cuba to:

 Facilitate mail transportation between Saint Lucia and Cuba  Develop e-commerce between Saint Lucia and Cuba  Facilitate money transfer between Saint Lucia and Cuba

 Organise a Spanish language course for staff of member countries and the Secretariat where applicable  Represent the CPU at international meetings/conferences and provision of expert services as and when necessary to the CPU  Participate in the 18th Conference and Council of Ministers meeting  Participate in UPU/CPU postal training workshops at the CPTC and facilitate Spanish interpretation at the CPTC when Cuba’s delegates are in attendance

3. Meeting of 12 February 2015. a. Preparations for the 18th Conference

In view of BVI’s low tourist season which runs annually from September, the MB agreed to the hosting of Conference from 14 to 18 September 2015 as follows:

 On the 14, 15 and half day Wednesday 16th to be allocated to the 18th Conference  Hosting of the UPU’s strategy Conference from half day 16 September to 17th September  Hosting of the Council of Ministers meeting on18th September

“The Future Post” and “Postal Harmonization and Sustainability” were approved as the theme and sub theme for the 18th conference. b. Report on CPU and UPU Regional meetings

The suggested role and focus of the reform committee and the need to convene a briefing session for Postmasters General following the 2015 conference was recommended within the context of the UPU’s reform framework.

The MB called for the Secretariat to:

 invite members to submit updates on reform measures implemented as at 12 February 2015  Invite members who benefited from the formulation of Integrated Postal Reform and Development Plans (IPDP) to submit updates to the Secretariat for collation and information of Council.  Administer a questionnaire to members to solicit participation in helping define the reform parameters for the reform committee.  Email the 2008 Protocol entitled “Redirecting the Caribbean Postal Sector” to the Management Board.

The MB noted the composition of Haiti’s Steering Committee - inclusive of CPU’s Secretariat - to oversee the expansion of Haiti’s postal network and the request by the RPC for CPU to fund one official of Haiti Post in franchise management training. The MB called on the RPC to submit a written proposal to guide its decision. c. UPU World Postal Strategy

The MB approved CPU’s participation in the Strategy Conference in Geneva.

4. Management Board representation at the UPU World Postal Strategy, 13 and 14 April 2015

Five members1 of the Management Board along with the Secretary General participated in the UPU World Postal Strategy from 13 to 14 April 2015.

The Board decided that it remains important for the CPU to be represented at Conferences, Workshops and strategic sessions such as the Strategy Conference if CPU is to remain relevant to the UPU and the international postal family.

4.1 Recommendation

Noting that it was a good conference and appropriate for the CPU to be represented, the Board submitted the following recommendations:

- The Management Board and the Secretariat should establish a position and points to be raised far in advance of such events and the Secretary General should be given clear instructions on what is to be communicated. - The Secretary General should be required to share with the Management Board an overview (as a minimum) of what is to be presented, so that the Management Board has an opportunity to provide feedback, input and assistance if required and appropriate. - The Secretary General should also provide a report on attendance at said conference within a reasonable time frame (perhaps two weeks) after the event. The report should provide an overview of the conference as well as any recommendations on initiatives for the CPU to consider implementing.

1 BB, BM, LC, UK and VI

5. Meeting of 15 May 2015. a. Summary report on the work of the Secretariat

The MB noted the activities which included participation of the Secretariat at the launch of the CPTC; meetings aimed at building synergies with other stakeholders; and participation at CPTC training of postal personnel. b. Financial matters

The MB noted that Income for the period January to 13 May 2015 amounted to USD 102, 381; recurrent expenditure for the same period was USD 50,186 resulting in an operating surplus of USD 54,196 for the period under review.

Noting also that arrears of payment of contributions as at 13th May 2015 amounted to USD 148,000 the MB agreed to:

o invite the 18th Conference to take a decision with regard to arrears of payment of contributions o update Council on the status of payment of contributions

The MB also agreed to allow members who might not have studied the audited financial statements adequate time to do so in order to arrive at an informed decision.

c. Conference/Council meeting

The draft agendas for Conference and Council’s meeting were reviewed. The MB called for further reviews leading up to Conference to be undertaken by the Secretary General in consultation with the Host country.

The MB also agreed to the inclusion on the agenda - a panel discussion on the UPU World Postal Strategy Conference by members who participated in that conference which was subsequently deleted to avoid duplication by the UPU Regional Strategy Conference.

d. Report on the UPU World Postal Strategy

The MB noted the Secretary General’s report on the UPU World Postal Strategy in which she participated in the panel discussion on trade facilitation for MSMEs through the postal network. e. Revision of the CPU Convention and Regulations

Noting that the CPU Convention and Regulations were silent in respect of CPU’s Vision, Mission and the authority of the Chairman of the Management Board, the MB agreed to the revision of the Convention and Regulations with the approval of Members. f. CPU 2016 Conference

In consideration of the 2016 UPU Congress which could possibly be held during the third quarter, the MB agreed to the hosting of the 19th Conference in 2016 during the period of May/June in compliance with Convention Article 8.3. g. CPU 2016-2020 Strategic Plan

The formulation of a strategic plan for CPU for the period 2016 to 2020 was approved.

The MB agreed that the plan should cover among other topics the following:

- Preparations for the 2016 Congress; - E-Commerce; - Financial services - Postal reform/transformation.

The MB also instructed the Secretariat to retrieve and submit previous strategic plans for the Board’s review and consideration. h. Any Other Business

Mail despatch: The challenges faced by Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados in getting mail out of the Region and Anguilla’s difficulty in despatching EMS items were discussed.

Areas of mutual cooperation between Cuba and CPU: Citing that Saint Lucia may wish to pursue the Spanish course individually, the MB called for members to be consulted to ascertain their interest in participating in the Spanish

language course and for the implications for a comprehensive course plan to be determined.

Call to tender - TT Post: The MB noted that TT Post had put to tender its proposal to develop points of sale (POS) and its decision to make available to the CPU the names of the ten companies with which it had communicated to provide that service. The Board agreed that it would be advantageous to members if they would review the two points of sale proposals with their IT Specialists and instructed the Secretariat to forward the proposals to members.

6. Round Robin -17 June 2015

Noting the possibility that Council Members may be unable to travel to the BVI for a one day meeting on Friday 17th September 2015, the Management Board in response to the BVI’s observation agreed to the following:

 Change of CPU Conference, UPU Regional Strategy Conference and Council’s Meeting dates to: o CPU Conference: Monday 14 to half day Tuesday 15, September o UPU Regional Strategy Conference – Caribbean: Commencing Half day Tuesday 15 to Wednesday 16 September 2015, and o Council’s Meeting: 17 & 18 September 2015

7. Meeting of 20 August 2015 a) Appointment of an interim Secretary General

Being aware of the retirement of Ms. Sandra Davoren, Postmaster General, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Secretary General, CPU effective 1 August 2015, and in accordance with Convention Article 13.3 (b) the Management Board decided to appoint Mr. Reynold Baldeosingh, CEO TT Post (Trinidad and Tobago) as interim Secretary General until January 31, 2016.

b) Call for nominations for Secretary General

Following the appointment of the interim Secretary General, the Management Board instructed the Secretariat to issue a call to member governments for nomination of candidates as stipulated in Convention Article 22.

c) Final revision of Conference and Council’s agenda

Cognisant of the challenges faced by members in conveying mail throughout the Region, and aware of the request by DHL to present transportation options to conference, the Management Board called for an amendment to the Conference agenda to include mail transportation and instructed the Secretariat to invite all transportation partners to conduct an assessment on the ground and present the solutions to their findings to the 18th Conference.

Castries, 24 August 2015 A. W. Smith, Chairman Management Board