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The International Communities Organisation (ICO) and Cyprus Peace and Dialogue Centre (CPDC) has held a series of high-level meetings in New York over the last few days to brief UN officials and international stakeholders about their work on the Cyprus Issue.

The meetings with member states and high-level UN officials including United Nations Under-Secretary General for Policy H.E Guy Ryder, the President of ECOSOC H.E Robert Rae, and Assistant Secretary General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas in the United Nations Department of Political Affairs H.E Miroslav Jenča. These discussions were led by the former President of the UN General Assembly 76th Session and current ICO International Ambassador H.E. Abdulla Shahid.

The high level meetings took place following the Summit of the Future  where the Pact for the Future was adopted by world leaders. ICO’s model of “on the ground” working, bottom-up consultation and economic revitalisation was welcomed by the UN.

The work in Cyprus has been led by CPDC and supported by ICO, including collaboration with UNFICYP on the Building Bridges Project, bringing together entrepreneurs and business persons on the island, piloting Remesh AI tool to foster interactive intercommunal dialogue and researching the feasibility of cross-island investment.

CPDC and ICO were delighted to share their work with the UN regarding the Policy Working Group, which has aimed to revive strategic discussions with key persons and stakeholders involved in the 2017 Crans Montana process, and work on a “Strategic Framework Agreement” building directly on the past work of UN sponsored peace talks. The PWG has agreed on the necessity of redesigning the process of negotiations.

Dr Meltem Onurkan Samani, Founder and General Coordinator of CPDC commented, “as a diverse group of Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, we firmly believe that a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem is not just a goal but an urgent necessity for the future of our island. It is only through courageous political leadership and inclusive dialogue that we can achieve lasting peace and make Cyprus a model of justice and coexistence for the region,” she added.

About CPDC

The Cyprus Peace and Dialogue Committee (CPDC) is a collaborative group of Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots advocating for a bi-communal, bi-zonal federal state in Cyprus. Committed to fostering peace, equality and cooperation, CPDC emphasises inclusive dialogue, grassroots engagement and visionary leadership to address the Cyprus problem urgently.