The upcoming November visit to Cyprus by the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguín, will be used to accelerate initiatives promoted by the bicommunal Technical Committees, Greek Cypriot Co-Chair of the Technical Committee on the Environment Michalis Loizides told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).
Loizides said members of the Technical Committees had already been informed of Holguín’s intention to meet with them during her visit to the island, which will also include a trilateral meeting with the President of the Republic and the Turkish Cypriot leader. A date for the meeting with the committees has not yet been set.
He described preparations by the Environment Committee ahead of Holguín’s visit as being in full swing, with the aim of presenting progress on a series of initiatives discussed at their previous meeting in July.
Loizides said the United Nations’ positive response to the work of the Technical Committees reflected a belief that their activities were producing practical results in bringing the two communities closer together at civil society level.
The Environment Technical Committee is working on around 20 initiatives, including improving communication with civil society in both communities, coordinating efforts to record, monitor and address air pollution and microplastic pollution in water, and developing measures to manage diseases affecting plants and animals.
Describing the agenda as ‘very positive’, Loizides said it was encouraging that mechanisms for cooperation and a communication channel had been established and their effectiveness tested. These arrangements, he added, were helping advance initiatives and scientific cooperation to address emerging challenges.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term nears its end, announced he would convene another meeting in broader format, after adequate preparation, but gave no timeline. He secured to that end the consensus of both sides and of the guarantor powers. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties. Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto acts as the European Commission’s Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.