MINISTRY OF POSTS IN ST. KITTS-NEVIS CELEBRATES WORLD POST DAY 2018

Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 09, 2018 (SKNIS): The Ministry of Posts in St. Kitts and Nevis has organized a month of activities to mark the international observance of World Post Day, which is celebrated annually on October 09.

Notable events include a Customer Appreciation Day today (Tuesday, October 09); Hike to Sofa Stone via Miliken Estate, St. Peters on October 13; Staff Work Experience Exchange to Nevis on October 15 – 19; Fun Day at Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park on October 20; Staff Lunch on Saturday 27; and free Mail Box Sign up on October 31. A stamp exhibition will be mounted at the Philatelic Bureau in the Pelican Mall throughout the month. There is also a Postcade (motorcade) on November 03 to help raise public awareness about the importance of the postal system and the services available at various Post Offices.

Deputy Postmaster General, Darrien Veira, said an important aspect of the month-long celebration is enhancing the efficiency of staff as they carry out their duties. The staff exchange is one such opportunity. Training sessions will also be held on new software used to track and trace mails and packages and improve accounting, as well as software used by the local customs and excise department which will improve the processing procedures at the General Post Office (GPO) for the U.S. Mail Box service. The training will also help to bring the local Post Office in alignment with the standards of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).During an address to mark World Postal Day, Minister responsible for Post, the Honourable Ian Patches Liburd, acknowledged the growing use of computers, smart devices and social media in facilitating communication, but said the Post Office remains relevant in this digital age.

“Without an address, you do not exist. It is one of the most critical pieces of information needed to locate persons for social security, banks, import and/or export services, census and survey activities, GPS (Global Positioning Systems) and many other activities,” Minister Liburd said.

He added: “Post Offices remain relevant across the world as they provide the same opportunity for everyone to be reached. They are valuable communication link. In the midst of frustration and confusion resulting from a natural disaster when technological disruptions are inevitable, the Post Office offers the most reliable method of finding people.”

Minister Liburd thanked employees at the Post Offices in Basseterre, Sandy Point, Dieppe Bay, Tabernacle, Cayon, and Old Road in St. Kitts, as well as in Charlestown and Gingerland in Nevis for their contribution to the national and socio-economic development of St. Kitts and Nevis. He added that the local postal service will continue to tap into digital tools to ensure that it continues to innovate and reach people where they are. To this end, a Facebook Page and Instagram account will be launched at the end of the month.

World Post Day celebrated annually on October 09, the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in the Swiss Capital, Bern. It was declared World Post Day by the UPU Congress held in Tokyo, Japan in 1969.

The theme for World Post Day 2018 is “The Post: Delivering Good to the World.”