This afternoon, UNFICYP held the monthly NGO networking session with representatives from several civil society organisations from across the island on mental health and wellness and the importance of inner peace during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The conversations were led by Mandar Apte, Executive Director of Cities4Peace, an initiative of the International Association for Human Values - a non profit NGO promoting peaceful coexistence by providing community leaders with yoga meditation based tools to achieve inner peace.

The session also included a brief presentation on the link between inner and outer peace by Andrew Russell, a former United Nations staff with experience from Central America, Cyprus and Kosovo. 

More than 20 people joined the discussion, which gave participants practical tools for exploring personal mental health and wellness.

The NGOs networking sessions are held monthly as part of UNFICYP Civil Affairs section activities to support and promote inter-communal dialogue.