Content_paragraphs:  When I repeated my call for a global ceasefire on 2 October, the International 
  
  Day of Non-Violence, I highlighted that that celebration was taking place in the 
  
  shadow of the devastating human and socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 
  
  pandemic. In Cyprus, COVID-19 continued to have profound negative repercussions 
  
  for the two communities, both in terms of health and socioeconomically. The 
  
  unprecedented dimension of the threat posed by the pandemic has, notably, resulted 
  
  in a further separation of the communities, while efforts to identify acceptable ways 
  
  to jointly tackle the virus and its multiple effects on the lives of Cypriots have been 
  
  limited. As mentioned in my previous report, there are existing mechanisms, mostly 
  
  underused, that could precisely address those issues if they received sufficient 
  
  political support. The bicommunal technical committees were specifically designed 
  
  to address island-wide issues that affect the daily lives of Cypriots and to foster 
  
  cooperation that would serve to build the foundation for a sustainable settlement. I 
  
  therefore call upon the leaders to enhance their support for the technical committees 
  
  and, in the specific context of COVID-19, in particular those that focus on health, 
  
  economic and commercial matters, crisis management, gender equality and 
  
  humanitarian affairs, bearing in mind their potential role in contributing to the 
  
  alleviation of the effects of the pandemic across the island.