Cyprus: Vote on UNFICYP Mandate Renewal Resolution
Tomorrow morning (31 January), the Security Council is scheduled to vote on a draft resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for another year, until 31 January 2026.
The negotiations on the draft resolution appear to have been smooth, reflecting the Council’s united support for UNFICYP’s work. The UK, the penholder on Cyprus, circulated a first draft of the resolution on 17 January and convened one round of negotiations on 22 January. After receiving written comments on two revised drafts, the penholder placed a third revised draft under silence procedure yesterday (29 January). The draft text passed the silence procedure and was put in blue this afternoon (30 January).
The draft resolution in blue renews UNFICYP without making any changes to the mission’s core mandate and tasks, which were most recently outlined in resolution 2723 of 30 January 2024. Some language was modified in the draft text to reflect recent developments.
The political process in Cyprus has traditionally been the central focus of UNFICYP’s mandate renewal negotiations. Over the past six months, there has been no meaningful progress on the political front and no direct formal engagement between the Cypriot leaders in the context of unification talks. The two sides have maintained differing positions on the appropriate framework for resolving the Cyprus issue: the Greek Cypriots remain firmly committed to a settlement based on a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation (BBF) with political equality, as stipulated in previous Security Council resolutions, while the Turkish Cypriots insist on a two-state solution based on sovereign equality.
On 15 October 2024, Secretary-General António Guterres hosted an informal dinner in New York with the Greek Cypriot leader, Nikos Christodoulides, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar. At that meeting, the two leaders agreed to convene another informal meeting in a broader format under the Secretary-General’s auspices in the near future. They also agreed to meet in Cyprus to explore the possibility of opening new crossings along the ceasefire lines.
The draft resolution in blue urges the sides to renew their efforts to achieve an enduring, comprehensive, and just settlement based on a BBF with political equality. It also expresses the Council’s appreciation for the Secretary-General’s continuing personal engagement and welcomes the “constructive next steps” agreed by the two leaders at the 15 October 2024 meeting, including plans for a broader informal meeting, while encouraging further progress on the possibility of opening new crossing points.
In his latest report on the good offices mission in Cyprus, issued on 3 January and covering the period from 13 June to 11 December 2024, the Secretary-General highlighted that Greece and Türkiye, as guarantor powers, have continued to enhance their bilateral relations through regular high-level meetings. The report also emphasises that both Ankara and Athens have consistently reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their relationship, and underscores the importance of their constructive support for the peace process regarding the Cyprus issue. The draft resolution in blue welcomes the promotion of peaceful neighbourly relations in the Eastern Mediterranean and reiterates that any disputes therein should be resolved peacefully and in accordance with applicable international law.
During the negotiations, Council members apparently discussed how to address the continued militarisation of the buffer zone and the ceasefire lines. The Secretary-General’s latest UNFICYP report, which was issued on 3 January and covers the period from 13 June to 11 December 2024, says that military violations by both sides persisted during the reporting period. It highlights a significant number of unauthorised installations of military-grade surveillance equipment and a continued disregard for the mission’s authority in the buffer zone, evidenced by repeated incursions and “move forward” violations when forces from either side deliberately cross the buffer zone.
The draft resolution in blue condemns the continued violations of the military status quo along the ceasefire lines. It urges both sides to take steps to de-escalate tensions in and around the buffer zone and to refrain from actions that are not conducive to the broader peace process. The draft text emphasises the importance of avoiding actions that undermine UNFICYP’s mandated authority and urges full respect for UNFICYP’s freedom of movement throughout the island and the cessation of all restrictions on the mission’s movement and access.
The Secretary-General’s latest UNFICYP report also notes that 142 asylum-seekers were stranded in the buffer zone during the reporting period, prompting UNFICYP to provide emergency humanitarian assistance in coordination with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Cyprus. The report further highlights that UNFICYP and UNHCR engaged with the Greek Cypriot authorities to “bring an end to the pushbacks and to the related incursions of the Greek Cypriot immigration police unit into the buffer zone”.
In September 2024, the Greek Cypriot authorities began accepting the asylum-seekers, reportedly from countries such as Somalia and Syria, fully resolving the situation by 14 November 2024. Accordingly, the draft text in blue acknowledges the significant challenges faced by UNFICYP in assisting UNHCR, “on an emergency and discretionary basis and without creating a precedent”, in addressing the issue of the asylum-seekers in the buffer zone. It also welcomes the engagement between the Greek Cypriot authorities and UNFICYP in resolving the situation.
The draft resolution in blue contains language on the clash that occurred in August 2023 between Turkish Cypriot construction and security personnel and UNFICYP peacekeepers in the plateau above the bicommunal buffer zone village of Pyla/Pile. On 9 October 2023, Special Representative and Head of UNFICYP Colin Stewart announced that an understanding had been reached between the two Cypriot sides to resolve the situation in Pyla/Pile. (For background, see the brief on Cyprus in our January 2024 Monthly Forecast.)
The Secretary-General’s latest UNFICYP report notes that implementation of the understanding has been suspended for more than one year and calls on both sides to resume its implementation. In this regard, the draft text in blue “regrets that implementation has been suspended for over a year and urges all parties concerned to work constructively with UNFICYP to implement the Pyla/Pile understanding as an important confidence building measure”.
The draft resolution in blue reiterates several elements from resolution 2723, including support for efforts to address the socioeconomic disparity between the two Cypriot communities. It calls on both sides to intensify their initiatives to foster intercommunal contacts, intra-island trade, reconciliation, and the active participation of civil society, particularly women and youth, with the aim of ensuring that their needs and perspectives are considered in any future settlement. Additionally, the draft text urges progress towards establishing an effective mechanism for direct military contacts between the sides and the relevant involved parties.