Security Council resolution 2369 (2017) [on extension of the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) until 31 Jan. 2018]
Symbol: S/RES/2369 (2017)
Date: 2017-07-27
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/72 [43] UN PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN CYPRUS
S/72 [42] CYPRUS QUESTION
Subjects: UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus|PEACEBUILDING|CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES|PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS|CYPRUS|CYPRUS QUESTION
Votes in favour: 15
Votes against: 0
Abstentions: 0
Voting record:
country: BOLIVIA (PLURINATIONAL STATE OF)
vote: yes
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: EGYPT
vote: yes
country: ETHIOPIA
vote: yes
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: ITALY
vote: yes
country: JAPAN
vote: yes
country: KAZAKHSTAN
vote: yes
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: yes
country: SENEGAL
vote: yes
country: SWEDEN
vote: yes
country: UKRAINE
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: yes
country: URUGUAY
vote: yes

               United Nations                                                                     S/RES/2369 (2017)
               Security Council                                                 Distr.: General
                                                                                27 July 2017




               Resolution 2369 (2017)
               Adopted by the Security Council at its 8014th meeting, on
               27 July 2017

                    The Security Council,
                    Welcoming the report of the Secretary-General of 10 July 2017 (S/2017/586)
               on the United Nations operation in Cyprus,
                    Noting that the Government of Cyprus is agreed that in view of the prevailing
               conditions on the island it is necessary to keep the United Nations Peacekeeping
               Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) beyond 31 July 2017,
                     Noting the intention of the Secretary-General to report on his Good Offices in
               the next reporting period, echoing the Secretary-General’s firm belief that the
               responsibility for finding a solution lies first and foremost with the Cypriots
               themselves, and reaffirming the primary role of the United Nations in assisting the
               parties to bring the Cyprus conflict and division of the island to a comprehensive
               and durable settlement,
                     Welcoming the commitments set out in the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot
               leaders’ Joint Statement of 2 April 2017 on the basis of the Joint Declaration
               adopted on 11 February 2014, further welcoming the progress in negotiations since
               then, including the reconvening of the Conference on Cyprus under United Nations
               auspices in June 2017, the participants’ commitment to support the process towards
               a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus, and the support provided by the Secretary-General and Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide,
                     Recalling the importance attached by the international community to all
               parties engaging fully, flexibly and constructively in negotiations to se cure a
               settlement and noting that the recent Conference on Cyprus has not resulted in an
               enduring, comprehensive and just settlement based on a bicommunal, bizonal
               federation with political equality, as set out in relevant Security Council resolutions,
               encouraging the sides to sustain their commitment to such a settlement, and
               stressing that the status quo is unsustainable,
                     Noting the need to advance the consideration of and discussions on military
               confidence-building measures, calling for renewed efforts to implement all
               remaining confidence-building measures, and for agreement on and implementation
               of further steps to build trust between the communities,




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                    Reaffirming the importance of continued crossings of the Green Line by
               Cypriots, and encouraging the opening by mutual agreement of other crossing
               points,
                    Convinced of the many important benefits, including economic benefits for all
               Cypriots, that would flow from a comprehensive and durable Cyprus settlement,
               urging the two sides and their leaders to foster positive public rhetoric, and
               encouraging them clearly to explain the benefits of the settlement, as well as the
               need for increased flexibility and compromise in order to secure it, to both
               communities well in advance of any referenda,
                     Highlighting the importance, both political and financial, of the supporting
               role of the international community, and in particular that of all parties concerned in
               taking practical steps towards helping the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot
               leaders to sustain their commitment to a settlement under United Nations auspices;
               taking note of the assessment of the Secretary-General that the security situation on
               the island and along the Green Line remains stable, and urging all sides to avoid any
               action, including violations of the military status quo, which could lead to an
               increase in tension, undermine the progress achieved so far, or damage the goodwill
               on the island,
                    Recalling the Secretary-General’s firm belief that the situation in the buffer
               zone would be improved if both sides accepted the 1989 aide-memoire used by the
               United Nations,
                     Noting with regret that the sides are withholding access to the remaining
               minefields in the buffer zone, and that demining in Cyprus must continue, noting the
               continued danger posed by mines in Cyprus, noting also proposals and discussions
               as well as positive initiatives on demining, and urging rapid agreement on
               facilitating the recommencement of demining operations and clearance of the
               remaining minefields,
                     Commending the work of the Committee on Missing Persons, highlighting the
               importance of intensifying its activities, and therefore the need to provide all
               information required as expressed in the press release of the Committee on Missing
               Persons on 28 July 2016 regarding review of archival materials, noting that nearly
               half of all missing persons have yet to be located and around 61.5 per cent have yet
               to be identified, urging the opening up of access to all areas expeditiously to allow
               the Committee to carry out its work, and trusting that this process will promote
               reconciliation between the communities,
                     Agreeing that active participation of civil society groups, including women ’s
               groups, is essential to the political process and can contribute to making any future
               settlement sustainable, recalling that women play a critically important role in peace
               processes, welcoming all efforts to promote bicommunal contacts and events
               including, inter alia, on the part of all United Nations bodies on the island, and
               urging the two sides to promote the active engagement of civil society and the
               encouragement of cooperation between economic and commercial bodies and to
               remove all obstacles to such contacts,
                    Stressing the need for the Council to pursue a rigorous, strategic approach to
               peacekeeping deployments,
                     Recognizing the need to regularly review all peacekeeping operations to ensure
               efficiency and effectiveness, including a review of UNFICYP when appropriate, and
               noting the importance of transition planning in relation to the settlement, including
               recommendations as appropriate for further adjustments to the mandate of
               UNFICYP, force levels and other resources and concept of operations, taking into
               account developments on the ground and the views of the parties,

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                Noting with appreciation the efforts of the Secretary-General, Special
           Representative Elizabeth Spehar, Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide,
                Echoing the Secretary-General’s gratitude to the Government of Cyprus and
           the Government of Greece for their voluntary contributions to the funding of
           UNFICYP, and his request for further voluntary contributions from other countries
           and organizations, and expressing appreciation to Member States that contribute
           personnel to UNFICYP,
                Welcoming and encouraging efforts by the United Nations to sensitize
           peacekeeping personnel in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS and other
           communicable diseases in all its peacekeeping operations,
                 1.   Welcomes the progress of the leaders-led process since 11 February 2014
           and the efforts of the leaders and their negotiators to reach a comprehensive and
           durable settlement, notes the outcome of the Conference on Cyprus and encourages
           the sides and all involved participants to sustain their commitment to a settlement
           under United Nations auspices;
                2.    Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General (S/2017/586);
                3.   Reaffirms all its relevant resolutions on Cyprus, in particular resolution
           1251 (1999) of 29 June 1999 and subsequent resolutions;
                4.     Recalls Security Council resolution 2338 (2017), and calls upon the two
           leaders to:
                 (a) Put their efforts behind further work on reaching convergences on the
           core issues;
                (b) Continue to work with the Technical Committees with the objective of
           improving the daily lives of the Cypriots;
                (c) Improve the public atmosphere for negotiation to secure a settlement,
           including by focussing public messages on convergences and the way ahead, and
           delivering more constructive and harmonised messages; and
                (d)   Increase the participation of civil society in the process a s appropriate;
                 5.   Requests the Secretary-General to maintain transition planning in
           relation to a settlement, guided by progress in negotiations, and encourages the
           sides to engage with each other, as well as with UNFICYP and the United Nations
           Good Offices mission in this regard;
                 6.    Urges the implementation of confidence-building measures, and looks
           forward to agreement on and implementation of further such mutually acceptable
           steps, including military confidence-building measures and the opening of crossing
           points already agreed upon and others, that can contribute to a conducive
           environment for a settlement;
                 7.    Welcomes all efforts to accommodate the Committee on Missing Persons ’
           exhumation requirements as well as the joint appeal for information issue d by the
           two leaders on 28 May 2015, and calls upon all parties to provide more expeditious,
           full access to all areas, given the need to intensify the Committee ’s work;
               8.    Expresses its full support for UNFICYP and decides to extend its
           mandate for a further period ending 31 January 2018;
                9.    Calls on both sides to continue to engage, as a matter of urgency and
           while respecting the mandate of UNFICYP, in consultations with UNFICYP on the
           demarcation of the buffer zone, and on the United Nations 1989 aide -memoire, with
           a view to reaching early agreement on outstanding issues;

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                    10. Calls on the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkish forces to restore in
               Strovilia the military status quo which existed there prior to 30 June 2000;
                     11. Calls on both sides to allow access to deminers and to facilitate the
               removal of the remaining mines in Cyprus within the buffer zone, and urges both
               sides to extend demining operations outside the buffer zone;
                     12. Requests the Secretary-General to conduct a strategic review of
               UNFICYP focused on findings and recommendations for how UNFICYP should be
               optimally configured to implement its existing mandate, based exclusively on
               rigorous evidence-based assessment of the impact of UNFICYP activities, and
               further requests the Secretary-General to report on the results of this review when
               appropriate within four months of the adoption of this resolution;
                    13. Expresses its full support for the Secretary-General in continuing to keep
               his Good Offices at the disposal of the parties, and requests the Secretary-General to
               submit a report on implementation of this resolution by 10 January 2018 and to keep
               the Security Council updated on events as necessary;
                    14. Welcomes the efforts being undertaken by UNFICYP to implement the
               Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse and to
               ensure full compliance of its personnel with the United Nations code of conduct,
               requests the Secretary-General to continue to take all necessary action in this regard
               and to keep the Security Council informed, and urges troop-contributing countries
               to take appropriate preventive action including the conduct of predeployment
               awareness training, and to take disciplinary action and other action to ensure full
               accountability in cases of such conduct involving their personnel;
                    15.   Decides to remain seized of the matter.




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