Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations operation in Cyprus (S/2015/17).
Period of Time and Topic: Covering the period from 16 December 2014 to June 20 2015, this report provides information on the implementation of the mandate and activities of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)
Women, Peace and Security
In pursuant of Resolution 2197 (2015), the Secretary-General report provides an update on the implementation of the UNFICYP mandate. WPS references have decreased since the previous report (S/2014/416), both in terms of their number and scope. WPS reference also continue to center on civil [1]society participation, with the Secretary-General advocating for the participation of civil society in his Observation section. The report, however, does include one reference to women, which shows a slight improvement from the last report. The report does not offer any gender analysis and/or data on women in disarmament and political activities, humanitarian assistance, and/or missing persons. Overall, the Secretary-General report is gender blind, missing key opportunities to identify women’s protection and participation concerns throughout the report.
Military and Police/Ceasefire Monitoring
In an effort to restore normalization of relations, the report notes that the Technical Committee on Crime and Criminal Matters, facilitated by UNFICYP, organized a seminar on domestic violence prevention within the buffer zone, which was “well attended” by both sides.[2] This is the only references to WPS within the support to military and police and ceasefire monitoring components of the mandate. The report misses an opportunity to provide any context or analysis on domestic violence in Cyprus, and does not provide any information on the content of the seminar or the outcomes. It is also unclear whether women or female survivors participated in the seminar. The report thus misses to provide any information on the gender dimensions of the domestic violence situation in Cyprus.
The report also misses an opportunity to discuss the participation and consultation of women and civil society in any on-going activities related to the ceasefire and law enforcement. The report notes the situation along the ceasefire lines remains stable, however, no progress has been made on either side to allow demining of the four remaining minefields in the buffer zone.[3] Without sex disaggregated data on civilian casualties or injuries resulting from mines, it is unclear how women are affected by their presence. The report also cites UNFICYP support a number of cooperation engagements by UNFICYP to support normalize relations, including assisting local authorities in the village of Pyla to address increasing criminal activities;[4] cooperating with local communities to issue permits and find solutions, such as bicommunal initiatives, for civilian projects in the buffer zone;[5] and facilitating cooperation between Nicosia municipalities to develop joint projects on issues of concern.[6] The report provides no information on whether women participated in these cooperative engagements. The mandate of UNFICYP calls for increasing the participation of civil society, including women’s organizations.[7] At the very least, the report should discuss the inclusion of CSOs, particularly women’s organizations, as stakeholders in these law enforcement processes.
Humanitarian Support
The report misses an opportunity to provide a view of the gender dimensions of the humanitarian situation or how gender-specific needs are being taken into account in the distribution of aid, including support to specific schools. At a minimum, the report should provide sex-disaggregated data on vulnerable Greek Cypriots and Maronites, missing persons, and legal assistance for civilians.[8]
Political Process
After seven-months hiatus, negotiations officially resumed on 15 May 2015 between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities. Since the resumptions of talks, both sides have agreed to establish a committee on gender equality.[9] The report misses an opportunity to provide any information on the formation and/or duties of the Committee. The report should have advocated for women and women’s civil society organizations full participation and consultation in all matters of the Committee as well as called for both Greek and Turkish Cypriot women’s leadership on the Committee. In addition, the political parties issued a joint statement that they would commit to supporting and promoting greater public participation in the resumed political process,[10] but failed to provide any details of the joint commitment and whether or not women were specifically identified within “the public.”
The report also notes that UNFICYP has supported 70 civil society events, in which more than 5,000 individuals from both communities have engaged in activities.[11] In addition, the political parties issued a joint statement that they would commit to supporting and promoting greater public participation in the resumed political process. These references could have been improved if the report provided the outcomes of these events as well as information on women’s participation.
In the Observation section of the report, the Secretary-General also emphasizes the “critical role” of civil society in contributing to peace and Cyprus.[12] Citing the proposed committee on gender equality, the Secretary-General further calls for a more “equal understanding of the perspectives of both men and women.”[13]However, the Secretary-General, once again, misses the opportunity to identify women as a key stakeholder in peace and promote both sides and UNFICYP, in accordance with their mandate,[14] to engage, consult, and promote the participation of women and women's organizations in all political settlement efforts.
Ideal Asks
Future reports should advocate for the full participation of women at all levels of decision-making, especially in the context of resumed political dialogue between Greek and Cypriot leadership, and provide detailed information on the gender-dimensions of political outcomes, including the creation of a commission on gender equality. With domestic violence having been identified as a clear women’s protection concern, the next report should provide context-specific analysis on domestic violence and detailed information on both sides support to prevention. It is also critical that reports mainstream gender as a cross-cutting issue, providing at a minimum sex-disaggregated data on humanitarian assistance, missing persons, and buffer zone permits. Reports should further provide information on the outcome and participation levels, including women, on all civil society events as well as civil society consultation and participation in all efforts to restore normal conditions between the two sides. UNFICYP should systematically engage women’s civil society as consultants and participants in all mission efforts and report on the outcome of such engagement. Finally, report should advocate for the government to prioritize the participation of women and civil society in the resumption of political talks.
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[1] See S/2015/517 (2015) para. 44
[2] S/2015/517 (2015) para. 17
[3] S/2015/517 (2015) para. 14
[4] S/2015/517 (2015) para. 16
[5] S/2015/517 (2015) para.19-21
[6] S/2015/17 (2015) para. 14
[7] S/2197 (2015), PP. 14
[8] See S/2015/517 (2015) para.23-25, 31
[9] S/2015/517 (2015) para. 17
[10] S/2015/517 (2015) para. 26
[11] S/2015/517 (2015) para. 26
[12] S/2015/517 (2015) para. 44
[13] S/2015/517 para. 37
[14] See S/RES/2168 (2014) PP. 14, OP. 3 (d)