The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Cyprus and Head of the United Nations peacekeeping force on the island (UNFICYP), Khassim Diagne, will brief on Tuesday, behind closed doors, the representatives of the countries contributing troops to UNFICYP.
On 15 January, he is scheduled to brief the members of the UN Security Council in closed consultations on the situation in Cyprus.
On 29 January, the Security Council will vote on the renewal of UNFICYP’s mandate for a further year.
The United Kingdom, which also serves as the penholder of the relevant resolution, while as one of the three guarantor powers, Greece, which was elected on 6 June 2024 as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for 2025-2026, is a key stakeholder with regard to UNFICYP and has played a decisive role last year through its interventions during drafting the resolution.
Since the collapse of the talks at Crans-Montana in 2017, the central issue for the Security Council has remained the absence of substantive progress toward the resumption of a formal political process. Cyprus President, Nikos Christodoulides, and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman had a meeting on 11 December 2025, facilitated by the UNSG’s Personal Envoy, María Ángela Holguín, after which the UN said that the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to participate in the next informal meeting in a broader format to be convened by the UN Secretary-General and to continue to work in Cyprus to produce tangible results for the benefit of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and to ensure the success of the next informal meeting in a broader format.
During the closed consultations, the Security Council is expected to consider how the new resolution could be used to encourage the two sides to build on recent contacts and to avoid actions that could undermine the political climate, including activities that heighten tensions in the buffer zone.
According to information, the Security Council may also consider inviting Holguín to brief members, in the context of the consultations, on her assessment of whether the conditions are being shaped for a meeting in an expanded format.
In addition, Council members may examine the potential operational implications of the proposed budgetary and staffing adjustments under the UN80 initiative for the Office of the Special Adviser on Cyprus, as well as the possible impact of the broader UN liquidity crisis on UNFICYP and on the Secretary-General’s Good Offices in Cyprus.
The Secretariat has stated that the Office will continue to perform its core political role through a streamlined structure; nevertheless, some members appear likely to seek greater clarity on how fiscal and structural constraints could affect political engagement, support for confidence-building measures, and the implementation of UNFICYP’s mandate ahead of its renewal.
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.
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.