The Cypriot Civil Society movement: a legitimate player in the peace process?

Abstract

Efforts to resolve Cyprus's frozen conflict have frustrated the international community for nearly forty years. One of the causes of this lack of progress is a fundamental ‘democratic deficit’ in previous efforts at peacebuilding. In response to this deficit, a civil society movement for peace has slowly but inexorably emerged in the last few decades, engaging in a wide range of reconciliation efforts. In light of an ever-evolving enabling environment, this paper asks if this civil society movement has acquired the capacity and the constituency that could establish it as a legitimate interlocutor within an expanded peace process.

Keywords:

• reconciliation
• peacebuilding
• Cyprus
• conflict prevention
• participatory peacemaking
• civil society

Notes

¹ http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/ccpr.htm

² http://unhcr-cyprus.blogspot.com/2008/10/history-of-unhcr-representation-in.html

³ The comprehensive list of activities funded by this programme can be found at http://mirror.undp.org/cyprus/projects/search.asp

⁴ It joined on 1 May 2004, a few days after the rejection by Greek Cypriots of the Annan Plan in the 24 April referendum.

⁵ www.cyef.net

⁶ http://www.cyindep.eu/

⁷ http://peace-it-together.net/