Opening of the Exhibition “Beneath the Carob Trees: the Lost Lives of Cyprus”; A photo exhibition on the work of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus

Mr. Maurer,
Members of the Committee on Missing Persons,
[Ms. Gülden Plümer Kücük, Mr. Nestoras Nestoros, Mr. Paul-Henri Arni (UN)]
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am very pleased to welcome you to the exhibition “Beneath the Carob Trees: the Lost Lives of Cyprus”, jointly organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations Office at Geneva. The exhibition presents works by photographer Nick Danziger with words by Rory MacLean that shine a light on the work of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus. I would like to thank the Canton of Geneva for generously inviting us to a reception following this opening.

During the tragic events of 1963-64 and 1974, many Cypriots of both communities were killed and went missing for the decades that followed.

Since 1981 the Committee on Missing Persons has worked on these disappearances in Cyprus. The CMP is a tripartite mechanism with two members appointed by their respective Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders, and a UN third member selected by the International Committee of the Red Cross and appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Over the last decade, the Committee has undertaken more than a thousand excavations and exhumations across the island, recovering and identifying missing men, women, and children. Their remains were identified and returned to their relatives who arranged for a decent burial of their loved ones.

Each missing person’s case begins with an investigation into the circumstances of the disappearance and involves a team of archaeologists, anthropologists, geneticists, researchers and psychologists. At every stage of the process, Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot scientists work alongside each other. “Beneath the Carob Trees” chronicles their efforts that are the foundation for coming to terms with the past, reconciling and paving a way into a peaceful future.

The situation in Cyprus is a painful reminder that sometimes resolving conflict may be a matter of more than one generation or two. Established in 1964, the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (known as UNFICYP) is one of the oldest of our peacekeeping missions. Since 1974, the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus has supervised the ceasefire lines and provided humanitarian assistance. Despite the deadlock for many decades I am optimistic about the future of the island. When I was the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Cyprus I always believed that a political solution was possible and I am optimistic that such a solution may now be forthcoming.

I am therefore especially pleased that I can be part of the opening of this exhibition here at the Palais des Nations which is one of several sites where events organized within the framework of the third edition of the Geneva Peace Week take place. This year’s Geneva Peace Week, which is still going on until tomorrow, stages 52 events with more than 100 speakers. The Week was facilitated by the Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies, the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform and UNOG, in collaboration the Swiss Confederation. Geneva Peace Week offers an opportunity to connect and highlight the work of all these different actors and to expand the space for dialogue about building peace and resolving conflict.

Today’s exhibition provides one such space to connect. Let it be a reminder of the potential to get past the disagreements and begin to build a new future together on this beautiful island but also in many other places that have yet to come to terms with their conflictive past.

Let me end with a few words about the positive developments at the other end of the lake above Montreux. I accompanied the Secretary-General on Monday to the talks in Mt. Pellerin and was encouraged by the atmosphere. Although the negotiations have not yet come to end, we have never been closer to a political settlement than today. We all remain hopeful that an agreement will be reached soon.

I thank you very much.