Cyprus: Vote on UNFICYP Mandate Renewal Resolution*
Tomorrow afternoon (30 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 2027.
While the negotiations reflected broad support among Council members for UNFICYP’s work, they were relatively more complex this year due to diverging views on several key issues. The UK, the penholder on Cyprus, circulated a first draft of the resolution on 16 January and convened one round of negotiations on the text on 21 January. After receiving written comments on two revised drafts, the penholder placed a third revised draft under silence procedure yesterday (28 January). Pakistan broke silence, after which other members sent comments. A fourth revised draft was subsequently put in blue this afternoon (29 January).
The draft resolution in blue renews UNFICYP without making changes to the mission’s core mandate and tasks, most recently outlined in resolution 2771 of 31 January 2025. Some updates have been introduced to reflect recent political and operational developments on the ground.
Since the collapse of the 2017 talks in Crans-Montana, a central issue for the Security Council has been the absence of sustained progress towards resuming a formal political process. In this regard, the draft resolution in blue reaffirms the importance of achieving an enduring, comprehensive, and just settlement based on a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as set out in relevant Security Council resolutions.
Over the past six months, UN efforts to sustain momentum on the Cyprus issue have continued through a series of high-level engagements aimed at advancing the implementation of several trust-building initiatives. Following an informal meeting in a broader format—bringing together the two Cypriot leaders and the three Guarantor Powers (Greece, Türkiye, and the UK)—held in March 2025 in Geneva, Secretary-General António Guterres convened another informal meeting in the same format on 17 July 2025 in New York with Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and former Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar. (Tatar was replaced by Tufan Erhürman, who assumed office in October 2025.)
At that meeting, the parties reviewed progress on the six trust-building initiatives agreed in March 2025, which involve the establishment of a Technical Committee on Youth; initiatives addressing environmental and climate-related concerns, including the impact of mining activities; the restoration of cemeteries; the initiation of a demining effort; the proposed opening of four new crossing points; and the development of solar energy infrastructure within the buffer zone. The parties also reached a common understanding on four additional measures: the establishment of a consultative body for civil society engagement; the exchange of cultural artifacts; the launch of an air quality monitoring initiative; and actions to address microplastic pollution.
According to the Secretary-General’s latest report on his good offices mission in Cyprus, issued on 5 January and covering the period from 12 June to 15 December 2025, several of the trust-building initiatives were either partially or fully implemented. However, the report notes that no concrete progress was achieved on the opening of new crossing points, the establishment of a solar plant in the buffer zone, the exchange of art and cultural artifacts, or the creation of a consultative body for civil society engagement. These delays were attributed in part to the lead-up to the Turkish Cypriot leadership election in October 2025, as well as broader tensions on the island.
In this regard, the draft resolution in blue reaffirms the Council’s appreciation for the continuing personal engagement of the Secretary-General and that of his team, in particular his personal envoy on Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar. It also includes a new operative paragraph calling upon the sides and all parties to deploy all efforts to engage actively with the Secretary-General and his team.
The draft text in blue also welcomes the intensification of dialogue between the two sides and the outcomes of the informal meetings held in a broader format. It calls on the leaders to sustain their efforts in providing the necessary support and strategic direction to the work of the technical committees, with a view to ensuring their effective functioning and the advancement of the trust-building initiatives entrusted to them.
Noting the uneven progress in implementing the agreed initiatives, the draft resolution in blue welcomes the steps taken to date—including the establishment of the Technical Committee on Youth—and encourages further efforts by the leaders to advance the remaining trust-building measures. In particular, it underscores the importance of progress on the opening of new crossing points and the creation of a consultative body to facilitate meaningful civil society engagement in the peace process. The Secretary-General’s report on his good offices mission observed that such a body could “enhance legitimacy and transparency in the dialogue, inject fresh thinking and increase public ownership of and engagement in the peace process”. The draft text acknowledges, however, that while these initiatives are important for fostering a “conducive environment”, they are not a substitute for achieving a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue.
During the negotiations, Council members apparently discussed how to address ongoing violations of the military status quo along the ceasefire lines and the continued militarisation of the buffer zone, with members expressing diverging views on how to strike a balanced depiction of violations committed by both sides. The Secretary-General’s latest report on UNFICYP, which was issued on 5 January and covers the period from 12 June to 15 December 2025, notes that, while no significant incidents occurred within the buffer zone over the past year, military violations by both sides persisted, accompanied by a continued disregard for the mission’s mandated authority. The report further highlights the deliberate modernisation and long-term military investment along the buffer zone, although it notes a slight slowdown in the installation of military-grade surveillance systems. It also raises concern about the policy of “deliberately blurring the distinction between military and civilian” structures, including instances where military positions were reportedly disguised within civilian structures, an approach the Secretary-General described as raising “serious concerns”.
In this context, the draft resolution in blue condemns the continued violations of the military status quo along the ceasefire lines, including reported encroachments into the buffer zone, challenges to the mission’s delineation of the area, unauthorised construction, and the installation of military-grade surveillance systems. Consistent with Council practice, the text references specific violations by citing the relevant paragraphs of the Secretary-General’s UNFICYP report. It also expresses concern over the deliberate blurring of the distinction between civilian and military structures and urges both sides and all relevant actors 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.
A key point of contention during the negotiations concerned language addressing the impact of the socioeconomic disparity between the two Cypriot communities. Previous reports of the Secretary-General have highlighted the importance of intra-island trade and deepening economic ties as a means of reconnecting the communities, describing the issue as an area central to UNFICYP’s outreach and advocacy. Resolution 2771 recognised that such disparity risks further estrangement on the island and encouraged efforts to address it. The draft resolution in blue builds on this by noting that socioeconomic disparity could potentially affect prospects for a settlement, and by urging efforts to mitigate this through “meaningful contacts” in particular. It seems that, while Pakistan apparently advocated for stronger language to reflect the risks that such disparity poses to the broader peace process, a compromise was ultimately reached on the current formulation.
The draft resolution in blue reiterates several elements from resolution 2771, including reaffirming the status of the coastal city of Varosha—a demilitarised area separating the two sides of the island—as set out in relevant Security Council resolutions and expressing regret over the continuation of unilateral actions that contravene those provisions. It also recalls the critical importance of full compliance with applicable international law in the treatment of asylum seekers and refugees. In addition, the text underscores that the Council continues to follow developments in Pyla/Pile closely.
In contrast to resolution 2771, the draft resolution in blue no longer includes references to climate change or specific language on gender, apparently at the request of the US. For example, a reference in resolution 2771 noting that regular contact and communication between the sides contributes to addressing island-wide matters, including on the adverse impacts of climate change, has been revised to refer instead to “adverse environmental impacts”. Similarly, language encouraging engagement with women’s organisations and women leaders to incorporate a gender perspective in the settlement process has been replaced with a more general reference to a “women, peace and security perspective”. In addition, a prior reference to the Secretary-General’s call for at least 30 percent representation of women in future delegations was modified to omit the specific percentage.
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**Post-script: On 30 January, the Security Council adopted resolution 2815, renewing the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for another year, until 31 January 2027. The resolution received 13 votes in favour and two abstentions (Pakistan and Somalia).
