UN Security Council renews Unficyp’s mandate

The United Nations Security Council on Friday adopted the resolution renewing the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus (Unficyp) for one more year, until January 31, 2027.

There were 13 votes in favour and two abstentions by Pakistan and Somalia.

The resolution reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to a comprehensive and just solution to the Cyprus problem, noting that “the status quo is unsustainable” and that it carries the risk of “irreversible changes on the ground”.

“The situation on the ground is not static,” the resolution stated. “The lack of an agreement furthers political tensions and deepens the estrangement of both communities, risking irreversible changes on the ground, and reducing the prospects of a settlement.”

Although negotiations demonstrated broad support among council members for the work of Unficyp, they were relatively more complex this year due to diverging views on several key issues.

The United Kingdom, as penholder on Cyprus, circulated the first draft of the resolution on January 16 and convened one round of negotiations on January 21.

After receiving written comments on two revised drafts, the UK placed a third revised draft under what is called a silence procedure on January 28. Pakistan “broke” the silence, after which other members also submitted comments.

Several members — including Denmark, France, Greece and Latvia — expressed a preference for the version placed under silence. Subsequently, a fourth revised draft was issued on January 29.

The adopted resolution renews Unficyp without changes to the mission’s core mandate and tasks as previously outlined in Resolution 2771 (2025).

It reaffirmed the importance of achieving an enduring, comprehensive and just settlement based on a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as set out in relevant Security Council resolutions.

It also reaffirmed appreciation for the continuing personal engagement of the secretary-general and his team, including his personal envoy María Ángela Holguín, and urged all parties to deploy all efforts to engage actively with the secretary-general and his team.

The resolution welcomed the intensification of dialogue between the two sides and the outcomes of informal broader-format meetings in Geneva (March 18, 2025) and New York (July 17, 2025).

It called on the leaders to continue their efforts to provide the necessary support and overall guidance to the work of the technical committees, in order to ensure their effective functioning and the advancement of confidence-building initiatives.

Moreover, the resolution welcomed steps taken so far — including the establishment of the Technical Committee on Youth — and encouraged further efforts by the leaders to advance remaining confidence-building measures.

It emphasised the importance of progress on opening new crossing points and the creation of a consultative body to ensure the meaningful participation of civil society in the peace process.

During negotiations, council members discussed how to address ongoing violations of the military status quo along the ceasefire lines and the continued militarisation of the buffer zone, expressing diverging views on how responsibility should be balanced between both sides.

The resolution condemned “the continued violations of the military status quo along the ceasefire lines”, including “reported encroachment by both sides into the buffer zone”, “continued unauthorised constructions” and “installation of military-grade surveillance systems”.

It also expressed concern regarding the “blurring of distinction between civilian and military structures”, and called on all parties to take steps to de-escalate tensions in and around the buffer zone.

The resolution recalled the status of Varosha, expressing “deep regret regarding the continuation of unilateral actions”, and called for “the immediate reversal of this course of action”. It warned that “any further unilateral action may prompt a response from the Security Council”.

Regarding Pyla, it noted continuing challenges, regrets that implementation of agreed arrangements remains paused, and urges renewed cooperation with Unicyp as a confidence-building measure.

The council “decided to extend Unficyp’s mandate until 31 January 2027” and stated it will “continue to monitor the situation in Cyprus closely”, and requested two reports by the secretary-general in July 2026 and January 2027 to assess progress and mission performance, the resolution said.