TCI attends the 25th Annual Caribbean Postal Union Conference & 19th Caribbean Council of Ministers of Postal Affairs Meeting held in Kingston, Jamaica

#TurksandCaicos, September 24, 2023 – The Minister of Home Affairs, Public Safety and Utilities, the Honourable Otis C. Morris led a four-member delegation to Kingston, Jamaica for the 25^th Annual Caribbean Postal Union’s  (CPU) Conference and 19^th Caribbean Council of Ministers of Postal Affairs Meeting, which was held from 10^th – 15^th September 2023, under the theme: “The CPU at 25: Evolving for Economic Sustainability”.

Joining the minister at the conference were Permanent Secretary, Bridgette Newman, Postmaster General Mrs. Elizabeth James and Head Secretariat Ms Shanetta Thompson.

The opening ceremony which was held on Monday, 11^th September 2023 was attended by ministers with responsibility for post, permanent secretaries, postmasters general from around the Caribbean, as well as representatives of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and other regional and international postal officials.

The keynote speaker for the event was Senator the Honourable Dr. Dana Morris Dixon, Minister without Portfolio, Office of the Prime Minister responsible for with responsibility for Skills and Digital Transformation. She noted the post office remains relevant and plays a crucial economic role in many Caribbean societies. The gathering of so many practitioners in the industry was a testament to their commitment to making postal services throughout the Caribbean more efficient and competitive.

Other areas of focus during the conference included:

• The importance of public partnerships in creating an e-commerce infrastructure, to stimulate economic sustainability.
• Best practices and initiatives throughout the Caribbean
• Technology and CARICOM-CPU cooperation on how to access modern postal technology.
• Growth of the country’s economy while helping citizens and protecting the environment
• Achievement of United Nation’s sustainability development goals

A wide range of challenges facing the CPU, including transportation, declining revenues and delivery costs were also discussed.

Commenting on the conference, the Hon. Otis Morris stated that it was a very good opportunity to meet as Caribbean ministers and postmasters general to discuss challenges and as well as opportunities for collaboration in the area of postal services.

He recognised that there remains a need for the improvement of services within the post office as well as the exploration of new goods and services.

He concluded by thanking the Postmaster General and her team for their continued work in the area of post in the TCI and pledged his continued support to the Postmaster and her team.

Postmaster General of the Turks and Caicos Islands Mrs. Elizabeth James, noted: “I am happy that I was able to network with my colleagues from across the Caribbean to confront common issues and charter initiatives to deal with these issues which are faced by postal services regionally and internationally”. 

The Postmaster thanked the CPU for hosting the conference and the Ministry of Public Safety and Utilities for making her attendance possible.

 The delegation returned to the Turks and Caicos Islands on 16^th September 2023.