Pyla: On the occasion of the International Day of Peace, a symbolic ceremony took place on Friday in Pyla with the planting of an olive tree in the courtyard of the United Nations office. The event was organized by the Cyprus Women Environmental Peacemakers (CWEP), which aims to foster reconciliation and sustainable peace through environmental action, policy advocacy, and intercultural dialogue.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the ceremony was not only a tribute to the universal ideal of peace but also a gesture of remembrance and honor for the remaining missing persons from both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities.
The choice of Pyla-a village that stands as a symbol of coexistence between the two communities-highlighted the shared duty and responsibility to cultivate reconciliation, solidarity, and hope for a peaceful future. Participants emphasized that peace, like the olive tree planted, requires deep roots and constant care in order to endure and flourish for future generations, the press release added.
Speeches were delivered by Maria Tsiarta and Mustafa Ongun, UN officers at the Pyla office, on the occasion of the International Day of Peace. Simos Mytidis, President of the Pyla Community Council, and Veysal Gyuten, the Turkish Cypriot Mukhtar of Pyla, stressed the importance of this symbolic planting and expressed their hope for continued cooperation with the organizations behind this initiative, the press release noted.
Christos Efthymiou, representative of the bi-communal organization of missing persons’ families ‘Together We Can’, underlined that the grief for the missing is shared by both communities and highlighted the symbolic meaning of this act as a gesture of burial for those who have not yet been laid to rest.
Greetings were also offered by Petra Terzi, President of Women in Film and Television-Cyprus, and Munniver Ebedi, President of the Lefka Environmental Association.
Poems dedicated to Peace and Cyprus were recited by poets Kostis Kyranides, Marios Christofinis, and Husein Banca. Petra Terzi also recited the English lyrics of the song ‘Cyprus Women Environmental Peacemakers’, which will be performed in its world premiere by the Bi-communal Choir for Peace-Lena Melanidou, during the Golden Aphrodite Awards and WIFT CYPRUS Life Awards Ceremony on September 27th at the Melina Mercouri Hall, within the framework of the 20th Cyprus International Film Festival.
The ceremony was attended by Pyla residents, conference speakers Anna Christofini and Anita Nagypal, as well as UN representatives from Nicosia, Marina Vasilara, and Basiak Ekenoglou.
This action by CWEP is part of the Small Grants Scheme of the PLACE in Cyprus project, funded by the European Union under the Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community, with a grant of £7,000. It is co-organized by Women in Film and Television – Cyprus and the Lefka Environmental Association.
On September 22 and 23, a two-day conference will take place at the Ledra Palace, featuring environmentalists, academics, and activists from both communities and abroad. A key outcome of the initiative will be the presentation of a Policy Paper to the Bi-communal Technical Committees on Environment, Education, and Gender, as well as to Cypriot Members of the European Parliament, who will forward it to the relevant European Parliament Committees (FEMM, CULT, AGRI, DROI).
The project will also produce a highlights video capturing the events, while in September in Lefke, the Environmental Society of Lefke Association (ESLA) will host community seed-ball workshops, inviting participants to collectively create and disperse seed balls in the UN Buffer Zone.
“By planting seeds and olive trees, we are planting hope and peace. This is more than symbolic-this is a statement about how grassroots efforts, especially by women, can transform conflict into cooperation,” said Petra Terzi, President and founder of Women in Film and Television – Cyprus and Munevver Ebedi – President, Environmental Society of Lefke Association.
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. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.