Nicosia: The Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus has expressed gratitude to the Government of Austria for its initial financial contribution of £20,000. This donation is aimed at supporting the Committee's efforts to identify and return the remains of missing individuals, thereby ending the prolonged uncertainty faced by affected families.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the funds, received on 12 June 2026, will assist the CMP in achieving its objectives for the year 2026. The Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus was established in April 1981 under the United Nations' auspices, following an agreement between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. This initiative was launched after calls from two UN General Assembly resolutions for the establishment of a mechanism to address the issue of missing persons.
The CMP's Project on the Exhumation, Identification, and Return of Remains became operational in 2006. The European Union remains the main financial backer of this project. To date, 1,069 missing persons from both Cypriot communities have been identified and returned to their families for proper burials. The CMP depends on donor support to continue its bi-communal efforts.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory, leaving the fate of hundreds unknown. The Committee on Missing Persons was formed through an agreement between the leaders of the two communities, focusing on the exhumation, identification, and return of remains of 492 Turkish Cypriots and 1,510 Greek Cypriots who went missing during inter-communal conflicts in 1963-1964 and in 1974.
As per statistical data on the CMP website by February 28, 2026, out of 2,002 missing persons, 1,714 have been exhumed and 1,065 identified. Of the 1,510 Greek Cypriots missing, 764 have been identified, leaving 746 still unaccounted for. Similarly, out of 492 Turkish Cypriot missing persons, 301 have been identified, and 191 remain missing.