Dayan: “We can never be effective if we act alone”

16.11.2012 - With a little over a month to go before he hands over to his successor, UPU Director General Edouard Dayan looks back on his eight years at the helm.

In a video interview just before Congress, Dayan reflects on the strides made in several areas, including quality of service, financial inclusion and electronic services.

In an effort to strengthen the postal network and promote its role in global issues such as financial inclusion and the fight against climate change, partnering with other United Nations organizations was a mantra of Dayan’s tenure.

As the head of a specialized agency of the United Nations, the UPU director general attends the meetings of the United Nations Chief Executives Board (CEB), chaired by the UN secretary-general.

Dayan attended his last CEB meeting last week and received praise from Ban Ki-moon for his dynamic leadership. “You have shown a strong commitment to strengthening the Union’s relations with the United Nations and international organizations,” said Ban. He also noted Dayan’s efforts to improve the quality of postal services worldwide, raise awareness of the importance of addresses, keep pace with technological progress and strengthen the postal sector’s role as a facilitator of trade and financial inclusion.

The UPU itself hosted a meeting of the CEB in 2008. “That meeting served as a symbol of my wish to strengthen ties between the UPU and the UN system, since we can never be effective if we act alone,” said Dayan, who valued the board as a “platform for exchange and coordination.”

Dayan and Deputy Director General Guozhong Huang step down at the end of 2012 to make way for Director General-elect Bishar A. Hussein from Kenya and Deputy Director General-elect Pascal Clivaz from Switzerland.

Source : http://news.upu.int