The United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) is the postal agency of the United Nations. It issues postage stamps and postal stationery, denominated in United States dollars for the office in New York, in Swiss francs for the office in Geneva and in euros (formerly schillings) for the office in Vienna. As such, UNPA is the only postal authority that issues stamps in three different currencies. The Administration has a dual mandate: first, to disseminate information on the activities and achievements of the United Nations system through the medium of postage stamps, and second, to generate revenue for the organization. Usage and limitation United Nations stamps, in the appropriate currency, are only valid for postage when used on mail at certain United Nations offices. The three facilities that accept these stamps are the UNPA offices at: United Nations Headquarters, the Palais des Nations and Vienna International Centre. On 4 September 2007, the UNPA posted on its Web page new rules limiting the mailings it will accept. Express mail and Priority Mail are no longer available to the public, and mailings from the public are limited to 100 pieces. The UNPA stated that the reason for this is that it was not established to provide all postal services, and that its primary function was to issue stamps for philatelic purposes. History Beginnings The idea for the United Nations to issue stamps was first proposed in 1947 by the delegation of Argentina. The head of the delegation, José Arce, who was also President of the United Nations General Assembly, was himself a philatelist and wanted the United Nations to start issuing stamps. Arce thought that the stamps would serve three primary purposes for United Nations: The ability to issue postage stamps, a privilege formerly reserved solely for sovereign states, would lend the United Nations authority. The sale of these stamps would serve as an excellent source of revenue for the United Nations. The stamps would serve as global ambassadors for the United Nations, spreading its messages, philosophies, and missions across the world. On 20 November 1947, the General Assembly passed a resolution asking the Secretary-General to make inquiries into the possible creation of a United Nations postal service. This was followed by additional resolutions in 1948 and 1949 asking the Secretary-General to continue arrangements for the establishment of a postal service. Finally, on 16 November 1950, the General Assembly formally created the Postal