KATHMANDU: Nepal Post has received the Asia-Pacific Postal Union’s (APPU) 2026 Innovation Award for expanding courier services to remote areas.
The award, under the category “Service in Remote Areas,” was presented during the 14th APPU Congress held in the Thai capital Bangkok from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4.
The recognition came as Nepal Post expands its role from a traditional postal service to a government courier network, delivering official documents including passports, driving licences, educational certificates and medical reports to citizens’ homes.
The government has identified the transformation of postal services as one of its 100 administrative reform priorities, Director General of the Department of Postal Services Manmaya Bhattarai Pangeni said. The department’s efforts to extend document-delivery services to remote communities were a key factor in the award.
Pangeni led a three-member Nepali delegation to the congress, which brought together more than 200 delegates and observers from 32 Asia-Pacific member countries, the Universal Postal Union and other international organisations. Discussions at the event focused on postal modernisation, digital transformation, cross-border trade, delivery networks and regional cooperation.
Nepal’s difficult terrain and weak road and communications infrastructure pose persistent challenges to postal operations, Pangeni said, adding that the department was upgrading infrastructure and services to make delivery more reliable. “We are expanding the role of the postal service to bring government services to citizens’ doorsteps and make them simpler, faster and more reliable.”
At the APPU Congress, Nepal also advocated for expanding regional postal delivery networks and cross-border e-commerce to help local producers reach international markets.
The postal network could serve as a logistics bridge for small businesses, farmers and rural communities, connecting their products to consumers across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, Pangeni said. She called for greater cooperation among member states to develop regional e-commerce and postal delivery routes.
Nepal was also given special speaking time at the congress to brief delegates on damage caused by devastating floods in the country. Pangeni said the importance of postal and communications networks increases during disasters, when roads, bridges and telecommunications links are disrupted.
She said postal infrastructure could help deliver information, relief supplies, medicines and essential government services during emergencies.
Nepal also called for international support to build a modern, reliable, inclusive and citizen-focused postal system, including assistance with technology transfer, staff training, digital systems, e-commerce, environmentally friendly technologies and disaster-resilient infrastructure.
