Cyprus

Meeting with NY Mission (July 2015 – Hiba). Briefed them on the Guidelines, sent positive recommendation to capital. Outreach again in NY ahead of CAAC open debate August 2016.

October 2016: GCPEA wrote to Foreign Minister. February 2017: Bede and Gisela met with GVA mission rep. Had received the save the date for the conference. Was aware of the issue. Was curious as to the numbers of EU endorsing states. Thought that the reason Cyprus had not joined so far was because it conscripts under 18s into its armed forces as soon as they finish secondary school. We explained that this would in fact not be contrary to the Declaration, so if this was their only reservation, they should endorse.

June 2017: Human Rights Watch made a submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child recommending that they call on Cyprus to endorse the Declaration. GCPEA met with Croatia in Geneva to advocate for endorsement of the Declaration.

August 2017: Human Rights Watch issued a letter to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, cc’d to the ambassador of the Cyprus mission in Geneva, congratulating Cyprus for endorsing the Safe Schools Declaration, and thereby amending their previous submission to the Committee asking them to call on Cyprus to do so.

September 2017 UNSC: GCPEA sent a letter to the Ambassador in New York asking to raise the issue on attacks and military use, draw attention to the Declaration and the Guidelines during the Open Debate on children and armed conflict. We also congratulated with them since the last debate and asked to highilt this.

October 2017: The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child welcomed Cyprus’ endorsement of the Safe Schools Declaration in their Concluding Observations following the review of Cyprus’ report on OPAC.

July 2018: Joined Argentina’s joint statement to the UN SC during the open debate on children and armed conflict. Co-sponsored resolution 2427 (2018).

March 2019: attended GCPEA side-event on “Better Protecting Women and Girls from Attacks on Education” in Geneva. Clustered Interactive Dialogue with the SRSG CAAC Virginia Gamba, HRC Geneva: joined Norway’s joint statement on the Safe Schools Declaration.

March 2020: During the Interactive Dialogue: Commission of inquiry on Syria, Cyprus referenced to indiscriminate and deliberate attacks on civilians, on hospitals and schools

October 2021: cosponsored UNSRC2601.

November 2022: Endorsed the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences Arising from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA) on 18 November during an International Conference hosted by Ireland, the leader and penholder behind the Declaration.