By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter

Q-Post Chairman al-Aqli (left, back row), UPU Director General Dayan, (second, left, back row), UPU
Director Markets Development Ken McKeown, Director logistics Daniel Le Goff, Philately expert Jean Francois Logette, Q-Post Philately Bureau chief Khalid Fikri, Philately expert Jakob von Uexkull, Q-Post officials Mohamed Rushtam and S Kumar are seen at the inaugural ceremony of philately exhibition yesterday. PICTURE: Jayan Orma
The efforts made by philatelists all over the world to boost the image and activities of the postal sector came in for praise from the Universal Postal Union (UPU) Director General Edouard Dayan.
The top UPU official showered lavish praise on the collectors at the inauguration of the exhibition of stamps on the theme “transportation through ages” alongside the UPU Congress at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) yesterday.
Dayan said the stamp collectors across the world are doing a great service to the postal sector through their efforts. “Even at a time when the postal sector in many countries is encountering a host of issues owing to the presence of faster and technologically advanced communication modes, it is heartening to find the numbers of collectors are significantly growing as each day passes,” he said. An interesting development is the entry of a number of youngsters in the field, the UPU official added.
The UPU director general also had a special word of appreciation for Qatar’s philatelists, whom he described as “one of the best all over the world”.
Despite facing heavy odds, philately has survived both as a business and also a hobby for many, said the UPU Philately expert and International Reply Coupons programmes manager Jean Francois Logette. The rise in the number of philatelic exhibitions across the world is a positive sign for the postal sector, he said.
Chairman of the Q-Post Abdulrahman bin Ali al-Aqli, who inaugurated the exhibition, recalled Qatar has all along promoted philately in a big way and some of the most well-known collectors of stamps are from the country.
The exhibition at the foyer of the Qatar National Convention Centre has more than a hundred display boards and there is a dedicated section for the Arab region. The philatelic articles from the region, including stamps, aerogram, envelops and similar things are on the display at the exhibition.
While a number of countries are taking part in the exhibition, the dedicated section for Arab countries has as many as 15 display panels, exhibited by globally acclaimed philatelist and specialist in Arab collections Jakob Van Uexkull. The septuagenarian Swede, the founder of London-based World Future Council, an NGO working to improve the quality of parliamentary reforms, is a household name among Arab philatelists.
At the inauguration, the veteran collector said: “Philately involves much more than mere collecting of stamps”. It is in fact the study of chronological development of the means of communication that existed in every country from ages, he said. In short philately conveys the history of the world, he added.
Uexkull said the activities of the philatelists from Qatar are well-known in the industry. “Some of the best known philatelic enthusiasts are from this country,” he said, while adding that many in Qatar have unique possessions.
UPU Director of Markets Development Ken McKeown also highlighted the strides made by philately across the world over the years and how much it is contributing to the development of the postal market at the international level.
World Association of Development of Philately and Director of philately at Postuguese Post Raul Moreira was also present at the inauguration.