UNFICYP
United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
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The art of community policing: How UNPOL builds trust, one farm track at a time

For a visitor peering across the Nicosia wall, the buffer zone often looks like an empty “no-man’s land”. But for the men and women of the United Nations Police (UNPOL), this is not an empty space. It is a living, breathing community. Since joining UNFICYP, UNPOL officers have taken on a role that goes far beyond traditional law enforcement. While their mandate includes monitoring ceasefire lines, their daily reality is far more nuanced: managing…

Our Mission

UNFICYP works to create conditions for a settlement in Cyprus by preventing tensions, maintaining stability across the buffer zone and building trust among communities.

Cyprus became independent in 1960 with a constitution that was intended to balance the interests of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities across the island.

However, after an outbreak of intercommunal violence in December 1963, all attempts to restore peace failed. Concerned about the impact of the conflict on global peace and security, the UN Security Council established UNFICYP to prevent a recurrence of fighting, promote law and order, and contribute to a return to normal conditions.

UNFICYP continues this work today, as the island remains divided and peace talks have continued to stall. While waiting for the peace process to move forward, UNFICYP keeps the peace along the buffer zone, an area between Turkish Cypriot forces who control the island’s north, and the Greek Cypriot forces who control its south.

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UN Blue Helmets on the ground
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UNFICYP Military
UNFICYP’s troops supervise the de facto cease fire lines established in 1974 and maintain control over the buffer zone dividing the island.
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UNFICYP UNPOL
UNPOL works with UNFICYP’s Military and Civil Affairs components to maximize internal collaboration on all aspects of the Mission’s mandate.
Civil Affairs
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UNFICYP Civil Affairs
Established in 1998, the Civil Affairs Section of UNFICYP has three main areas of activity: civil, humanitarian and community relations.

United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus

UNFICYP is one of the longest-running UN Peacekeeping missions. It was set up in 1964 to prevent further fighting between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities on the island and bring about a return to normal conditions.