UNPA commemorative stamps on ECOSOC-Education-2011

 

On 1 July 2011, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) issues a set of six commemorative stamps on the theme "ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) - Education".

Education is a fundamental human right and essential for the exercise of all other human rights. It promotes individual freedom and empowerment and yields important development benefits. Education is a powerful tool by which economically and socially marginalized adults and children can lift themselves out of poverty and participate fully as citizens. Yet millions of children and adults remain deprived of educational opportunities, many as a result of poverty.

Each year, the Economic and Social Council holds an Annual Ministerial Review (AMR), a vehicle for meeting the UN Millennium Development Goals by the 2015 target date. The 2011 AMR will be held during the High-level Segment of the substantive session of the ECOSOC in July at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

The theme for 2011 AMR is "Implementing the internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to education". There has been tremendous progress towards Universal Primary Education (UPE) during the past decade, especially in developing countries. 

Limited access to education, high drop-out rates and grade repetition as well as poor quality of education, however, remain important challenges to the full achievement of this goal. At least 72 million children of school age are still denied the right to education due to financial, social or other challenges, including high fertility rates, HIV/AIDS and armed conflict.

The Education for All (EFA) movement is a global commitment to provide basic quality education for all children, youth and adults. The movement was launched at the World Conference on Education for All in 1990. In 2000, the international community met again in Dakar, Senegal, to affirm their commitment to achieving Education for All by the year 2015. They identified six education goals which aim to meet the learning needs of all children and adults by 2015.

The drive to achieve the EFA goals also contributes to the global pursuit of the eight UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially MDG2 on universal primary education as well as MDG3 on gender equality in education.

Resource/Reference: UNPA

Read More

World Postal Day

9th of October is celebrated as the World Post day as it was this day in 1874 when the Universal Postal Union (UPU) was established. In those days, the postal services were in their infancy all over the world and there was requirement to coordinate and harmonize the postal services for the people living in various parts of the world. In other words, the main objective of union was to maintain and create the structure for open flows of the worldwide mail around world.

It was Montgomery Blair, Postmaster General in USA, who prepared the conference of the legislature from 15 American and European countries in 1863, which could be termed as the cue for the establishment of the UPU nine years later. In fact it all started when on September 15, 1874, Heinrich von Stephan, a senior postal official in the then North German Confederation (an area that now forms parts of Germany, Poland and Russia), opened a conference in Berne, Switzerland, with delegates from 22 countries. On October 9, 1874, the delegates signed the Treaty of Berne and established the General Postal Union. The number of countries that were members of the General Postal Union grew rapidly and the union's name was changed to the Universal Postal Union in 1878. In 1948, the Universal Postal Union became a specialized agency of the United Nations.

Today with 189 member countries across the globe, the UPU is the world's largest physical distribution network, that regulates all matters related to post and postal services.

For the last 35 years, UNESCO and UPU have joined hands to organize the global competition of the letter-writing for the young people. Most of the participating postal services use this special day to award the prizes to competition winners.

Like all other countries, Pakistan is also celebrating the day with its postal system that dates back to 1852, when the Scinde Dawk ushered in a new era of postal services for the first time in the South East Asia. To mark the occasion, an impressive UPU-flag hoisting ceremony was organized in the Directorate General, which was attended by a huge gathering of Postal Officer and staff. Despite the era of e-mails and SMSs, the postal services of Pakistan are one of the best, efficient and available in the remotest parts of Pakistan.

Related Links/Reading: Scinde Dawk

Read More

Stamp Collecting and Internet

Internet these days provide a rich source for the stamp collectors to gain and obtain information about stamps, history of philately, pries of rare stamps and any allied information. The Internet has allowed small and large dealers to sell stamps and stamp collecting supplies online.  

Before the Internet, hobbyists often had to either order stamps through the mail or trek to the nearest stamp collecting store.   Now everyone can order stamps online and even sell them through marketplaces like Ebay.  In fact, today the dominant means of acquiring and selling stamps is conducted online.

I recently read an interesting post "Stamp Collecting and Internet" and I would like stamp lovers to read the detailed report.

Read More

Collecting Stamps? Know Some Terminologies

Every field has a language of its own. So anyone entering a particular field should learn these as early as possible so as not to wander around unknowingly or unable to speak with authority on the subject. Like all other hobbies and entertainments, the world of philately has its own phrases, dictionary, jargon and terminologies. 

Some of which are as under for easy reference and use.

• Adhesive: Most postage stamps have gum on the back for easy sticking on to the envelopes. Such stamps are called adhesive stamps.
• Airmail (Aero Philately): The collecting of stamps, first day covers that are carried by air bear the name airmail. This was an old use since now almost the entire mail is carried by air.
• Back Stamp: A postmark stamped on a letter by the destination post office.
• Block: A set of at least four intact stamps is called a block.
• Cachets: Additional information or imprecision made on an envelope other than the postmark to commemorate special occasions.
• Commemorative Stamps: Stamps issued to commemorate a special occasion are called commemorative stamps. The events could be setting a new world record, climbing an un-scalable mountain, anniversaries, independence days and so on. These stamps are usually of on sale for a very short period of time. 
• Face Value: The actual price of the stamp as printed on the stamp.
• Foxing: Brown spots found on stamps and books, caused by storing in damped environment.
• Frank: A stamp like mark, printed by machines by the post office. This is done in lieu of stamps, especially for customers with large mail deliveries. Mostly this is red in colour. 
• Hinges: Small transparent gummed papers attached at the back of a stamp to so that stamp sticks to a stamp album.

• Inscription:  anything written on a stamp (i.e., price, name of the country or a small description) during actual printing of the stamp. Any information later added to it does not fall under the category of the inscription, rather it these may be called “overprints.”  
• Key Type: The key type relates to a theme which is common to many countries. In this case everything except the name of the country. 
• Margin: A stamp that is printed on the edge of a sheet along with the white plain strip attached to it is called margin.
• Official Stamps: Official stamps are either specially printed or overprints on regular stamps announcing these to be the official stamps. These stamps are not open to public and cannot be used ordinarily. In Pakistan, the word “SERVICE” is used for such stamps.
• Perforations: These are the small holes printed on the sheet containing stamps as a separator. This aids in easy tearing off a stamp from the sheet without having any effect on the other stamps. 
• Postmarks: These are the marks printed on a stamp with the aim of cancelling a stamp and preventing its further use.

Read More

How Do People Start Collecting Stamps

Stamp collecting is perhaps the number one hobby around the world today (despite its diminishing trend due to more reliance on e-mail and SMSs). Normally one becomes a stamp collector early in one’s age when photos fascinate and quest for knowing different countries is high. 

To begin with, normally a potential stamp collector goes for stamps with pictures of choice. That is if one has inclination for animals and pets, one goes for stamps bearing photos of domesticated pets like cats and dogs. Some would like to collect stamps of personalities they admire or want to have a dictionary of presidents, queens, kings, pop stars, models or even astronauts. Mostly in early ages, pop starts and singers are majority’s choice. This is called theme collection, based on a particular line of approach.

As one grows, the scope of the collection broadens and one starts collecting stamps of one’s own country and then gets out of the border and start including other countries as well.

Stamp collecting is a source of very valuable information for those who start collecting stamps in their early ages. One soon learns about geography and history of various countries. Stamps also tell favourite games of a particular country or the personalities. Which flowers are grown in Holland or which birds fly in Russia.

The source of stamps varies, but main source is always the letters coming in one’s place. Then friends come in for exchanging duplicate stamps. And last is buying – I remember buying stamps from my meager pocket money and used to be so excited when adding the newly bought stamps. I can still point out stamps that I bought decades ago.

Initially, note books are used as a jump start. But then one starts buying specially made albums for storing stamps, though these are a bit expensive. Sorting stamps theme wise or country wise are the main types of arranging stamps, but it all depends on personal likings. Some add country information print outs at the beginning of each country or details of the selected theme.

Read More