Nicosia: Women from both communities on the island have initiated a series of environmental actions this September at the UN buffer zone. These efforts aim to contribute to lasting reconciliation by combining symbolic environmental action with political advocacy and intercultural dialogue, according to representatives of civil society organizations who spoke on Friday in Nicosia.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Petra Terzi, President and founder of Women in Film and Television Cyprus, one of the organizations that initiated the project, highlighted during a press conference at Ledra Palace, within the UN buffer zone, their aspiration to “reanimate” the buffer zone and transform the area into a “living, common environment for all.” The UN buffer zone, which has symbolized division for decades, could become a green landmark and a “space of hope and a legacy for unity,” Petra Terzi added. Munevver Ebedi, President of the Environmental Society of Lefke Association and a co-organizer of the events, emphasized that these joint environmental actions are tangible steps towards peace.
The joint actions were launched with a symbolic olive tree planting to honor the missing persons from both communities. Other events include a two-day conference scheduled for September 22-23 at Ledra Palace, featuring academics and activists from Cyprus and abroad, as well as representatives of the Technical Bicommunal Committees on Gender, Education, and Environment. The conference aims to present a policy paper to be forwarded to the Cypriot Members of the European Parliament, with a request for submission to the relevant EP Committees.
These actions are part of the “Cyprus Women Environmental Peacemakers” (CWEP) project, funded by a £7,000 EU grant under the Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory, leaving the fate of hundreds unknown.
A Committee on Missing Persons was established upon agreement between the leaders of the two communities to exhume, identify, and return the remains of 492 Turkish Cypriots and 1,510 Greek Cypriots who went missing during the inter-communal fighting of 1963-1964 and in 1974. According to statistical data published on the CMP website by August 31, out of 2,002 missing persons, 1,707 were exhumed, and 1,057 were identified. Of the 1,510 Greek Cypriot missing persons, 761 were identified, while 749 remain missing. Among the 492 Turkish Cypriot missing persons, 296 were identified, and 196 are still missing.