The bicommunal Technical Committee on Youth is on a two-day retreat in Amman, convened by the UN Secretary General’s Personal Envoy, Maria Ángela Holguín.
In a post on X by UN Cyprus, it is noted that the retreat, which takes place with the support of the Swedish Agency for Peace, Security and Development, FBA, “brings together young people from the island to build trust and explore ideas to address common 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.
In 2025 the Secretary-General hosted two informal meetings on Cyprus, in March in Geneva and in July in New York, while a tripartite meeting with the Cyprus leaders was also held in late September, at the end of the UN General Assembly High Level Week. An informal meeting in broader format is expected later this year.
María Angela Holguín, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties, while former European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, designated by the Commission as Special Envoy for Cyprus, is also expected to contribute to the settlement process, in cooperation with Holguín.