Nicosia, Cyprus. The United Nations has warned that Cyprus risks breaching international law over obstacles affecting the Imagine bicommunal peace education programme, citing delays, political interference and a suspension of participation in the north. Three UN Special Rapporteurs urged both sides to restore and protect the initiative.
UN communications and calls to restore programme
In letters made public on Tuesday, the independent experts described Imagine as “the single operational mechanism in Cyprus that systematically fosters trust” between the two communities. The communications were signed by special rapporteurs Bernard Duhaime, Alexandra Xanthaki and Farida Shaheed and focused on separate actions by each side that they said were undermining peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts.
According to summaries of the letters, neither the Republic nor the authorities in the north had submitted a public response by Monday, despite being given 60 days to reply before publication through the UN reporting system.
Concerns raised with the Republic
The communication addressed to the Republic focused on the delayed issuance of an education ministry circular authorising school participation in Imagine activities for the academic year, and on public campaigns targeting the programme.
The circular was issued on February 18, halfway through the academic year, and for the first time since the programme’s establishment in 2016 it had not been circulated before the start of the school year.
The rapporteurs said they had received information that media outlets, political parties, parliamentarians and nationalist groups had spread “divisive rhetoric and misinformation,” particularly regarding student visits to the north, creating what they described as a “climate of fear” that led schools to withdraw from planned bicommunal activities.
They asked the Republic to explain the reasons behind the delay, outline measures taken to counter misinformation, and provide updates on the implementation of recommendations issued in 2017 by the technical committee on education.
Concerns raised with the north
A separate communication to the north addressed the continued suspension of the programme in Turkish Cypriot schools since October 2022, when participation was halted through a circular citing policies centred on “sovereign equality” and “two separate states”.
The rapporteurs said the suspension had “significantly hindered the delivery of the project,” despite repeated calls by the UN Security Council and UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres for cooperation on peace education initiatives.
What steps do you think should be taken to ensure the Imagine programme can operate without delays or suspension?