Newsroom / CNA
The European Commission has entered into a €2.6 million partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to enhance the efforts of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP).
This latest agreement, the 16th of its kind, highlights the European Commission's continued dedication to supporting peace and reconciliation on the island, as stated in a press release from the Commission.
The funding, delivered through the EU’s Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community, aims to assist the CMP in locating, identifying, and returning the remains of missing persons to their families.
The CMP's mission is to address the cases of 2,002 missing individuals—492 Turkish Cypriots and 1,510 Greek Cypriots—who disappeared during the inter-communal violence of 1963-1964 and the events of 1974, according to the press release.
The European Commission has consistently backed the bi-communal scientific teams—composed of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot experts—that carry out all aspects of the CMP’s work.
This support, the Commission emphasized, not only aids the humanitarian effort to bring closure to affected families but also fosters mutual understanding and collaboration between the two communities, which are crucial for advancing reconciliation in Cyprus.
Since 2006, the European Commission has been the largest donor to CMP’s initiatives, contributing a total of €41.1 million.
"This assistance has played a vital role in identifying 1,051 missing persons, providing comfort to families and strengthening broader peacebuilding efforts on the island," the Commission noted.
source: Cyprus News Agency
