We investigate the relationship between the generalized uncertainty principle in quantum gravity and the quantum deformation of the Poincaré algebra. We find that a deformed Newton-Wigner position operator and the generators of spatial translations and rotations of the deformed Poincaré algebra obey a deformed Heisenberg algebra from which the generalized uncertainty principle follows. The result indicates that in the $κ$-deformed Poincaré algebra a minimal observable length emerges naturally.

13 pages, IFUP-TH 19/93, May 1993 (revised Nov. 1993)