Nicosia, Cyprus. The United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus, Unficyp, is facing challenges in liquidity and resource availability after its budget was cut late last year, mission chief Khassim Diagne said on Monday. He said Unficyp remains focused on operational effectiveness and resilience despite the financial environment.
Diagne outlines four priorities for Unficyp
Diagne spoke after meeting Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, saying Unficyp is among “10 or 11” UN peacekeeping missions facing resource challenges. He said “strengthening operational effectiveness, particularly in the face of a challenging financial environment” is one of four priorities he outlined to Erhurman on Monday and to President Nikos Christodoulides last week.
He said the second priority is “ensuring consistent patrolling and monitoring across the buffer zone to keep it safe, stable and free of incidents”. The third is “continuing work to restore and reinforce support for intercommunal activities, wherever possible”, which he said are essential for building trust between the island’s communities.
Diagne said the fourth priority is “maintaining the mission’s role as a stabilising presence, thereby contributing to broader efforts to support the political process going forward”.
Budget cuts affect peacekeeping mission and UN good offices
Diagne said he welcomed Erhurman’s “engagement” and reported that Erhurman expressed support for the mission’s ongoing activities.
Unficyp and the UN’s good offices in Cyprus have been hit by budget cuts this year, with Unficyp’s budget seeing a smaller impact because half of its previous US$55 million (€46.8 million) budget is covered by the Republic of Cyprus and Greece.
Cuts to the UN good offices amounted to 37.7%, resulting in seven civilian staff losing their jobs. Those staff had been tasked with facilitating bicommunal technical committees, joint work between the island’s two sides, and confidence-building measures.
How do you think the UN budget cuts could affect efforts to support intercommunal activities in Cyprus?
