This October, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) marked its 50th anniversary in Geneva, Switzerland.
On Dec. 11, 1968, an agreement between the United Nations (UN) and the Swiss Postal Telephone and Telegraph Enterprise launched the UNPA’s Geneva office. The first UN stamps denominated in Swiss francs were issued on Oct. 4, 1969.
This October, a personalized 10-stamp sheet featuring “flag alley,” which leads to the main entrance of Geneva’s Palais des Nations, was issued by the UNPA to honour “100 years of multilateralism at Geneva.” The 1.50-franc stamps, each with a different view of the Palais des Nations, are displayed alongside labels highlighting the restoration project of the Celestial Sphere.
The first UN stamps were issued in U.S. dollars on Oct. 24, 1951, while an agreement made with the Austrian government in June 1979 allowed the UNPA’s Vienna office to issue its first stamps in Austrian schillings later that year.