Project summary:

In March 2008 the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders established seven Technical Committees to work on confidence-building measures aimed not only at improving the everyday life of Cypriots, but also at encouraging and facilitating greater interaction between the two communities. In 2015, as a new round of negotiations started, new Technical Committees were established bringing the total number to twelve in the following key thematic areas:

• Broadcasting

• Crime and Criminal Matters

• Crises Management

• Crossings

• Cultural Heritage

• Culture

• Economic and Commercial Matters

• Education

• Environment

• Gender Equality

• Health 

• Humanitarian Matters  

The Technical Committees operate as mechanisms created with the purpose of developing confidence building measures that can improve the atmosphere of the peace and talks and demonstrate that the two communities can work together on issues of common concern.

UNDP’s overall objective is to support the work of the Technical Committees (TCs), through encouraging and facilitating greater interaction and understanding between the two communities. This effort seeks to enable cooperation and to build confidence with a view to contributing to a future reunification of the island. In consultation with relevant stakeholders, including the UN presence in Cyprus, this Facility contributes to this aim through the provision of capacity-building and project-enabling support to the TCs.