Unficyp ‘Facing Some Challenges In Terms Of Availability Of Resources’

Speaking after a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, he said that Unficyp is one of “10 or 11” peacekeeping missions operated by the UN which is “facing some challenges in terms of liquidity and availability of resources”.

Nonetheless, he said, “we continue to strengthen operational effectiveness and resilience”, with “strengthening operational effectiveness, particularly in the face of a challenging financial environment” one of the four priorities for Unficyp he outlined to both Erhurman on Monday and President Nikos Christodoulides last week. 

He said that the second priority is “ensuring consistent patrolling and monitoring across the buffer zone to keep it safe, stable and free of incidents”, while the third is “continuing work to restore and reinforce support for intercommunal activities, wherever possible”.

This, he said, is because intercommunal activities are “essential in building trust between the communities” on the island.

He added that the fourth and final priority is “maintaining the mission’s role as a stabilising presence, thereby contributing to broader efforts to support the political process going forward”. 

Additionally, he said he welcomes Erhurman’s “engagement”, adding that “I am pleased, really, to report that he expressed his support for the mission’s ongoing activities”.

Both Unficyp and the UN’s good offices in Cyprus have been hit by budget cuts this year, though Unficyp’s budget suffered a more minor impact, given that half of its prior US$55 million (€46.8m) budget is covered by the Republic of Cyprus and Greece.

Budget cuts at the good offices amounted to 37.7 per cent, with seven civilian staff losing their jobs.

Those seven staff had been tasked with facilitating the work of bicommunal technical committees, joint work between the island’s two sides, and confidence-building measures.

Diagne had said after his meeting with Christodoulides that Unficyp will be providing “more static presence in specific areas of the buffer zone”, and that the force is “patrolling the area day and night”, utilising both military police and civilian personnel.

He added that he has personally visited areas which are “considered, sometimes, sensitive”, and that having visited those areas, “I can assure you that this is our number one priority – to ensure the buffer zone is incident-free”.

“I will be very honest, we might not have zero incidents, but we will do our very best to ensure there is safety and security, not only for the civilians, but also for the peacekeepers,” he said.

Source: Cyprus Mail