Saint Lucia Postal Service does not operate in isolation, and is one of the 191 members of the Universal Postal Union, a United Nations specialized agency. The Universal Postal union was established in 1874, has its headquarters in Berne Switzerland. Saint Lucia Postal Service is also a member of the Caribbean Postal Union which was established in Saint Lucia in September 1997, where 15 Caribbean postal administrations signed the CPU conventions and protocols. To date there consists of 24 Caribbean territories plus the United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada and Netherlands. The secretariat for the regional coordinator for the Universal Postal Union and the technical officer for the Caribbean Postal Union, is based at General Post office, Castries, St. Lucia.