S/RES/2026 (2011)
Security Council Distr.: General
14 December 2011
11-63805 (E)
*1163805*
Resolution 2026 (2011)
Adopted by the Security Council at its 6685th meeting, on
14 December 2011
The Security Council,
Welcoming the report of the Secretary-General of 30 November 2011
(S/2011/746) 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 15 December 2011,
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 progress made so far in the fully fledged negotiations, and the
leaders’ joint statements including those of 23 May and 1 July 2008,
Welcoming the move towards a more intensive phase of negotiations, stressing
that the status quo is unsustainable and strongly urging the leaders to increase the
momentum in the negotiations, particularly on the core issues, to reach an enduring,
comprehensive and just settlement based on a bicommunal, bizonal federation with
political equality, as set out in the relevant Security Council resolutions,
Emphasizing the importance attached by the international community of all
parties engaging fully, flexibly and constructively in the negotiations, echoing the
Secretary-General’s view that a comprehensive settlement can be achieved, looking
forward to decisive progress in the near future, leading up to the Secretary-
General’s meeting with the leaders in January 2012, and echoing the Secretary-
General’s expectation that “all internal aspects of a settlement will have been
resolved by then so that we can move to a multilateral conference shortly thereafter”
with the consent of the two sides,
Welcoming the efforts of the Secretary-General to stimulate progress during his
meeting with the two leaders on 31 October 2011, his intention to meet with the two
leaders in January 2012, and noting his intention to submit to the Security Council
in January 2012 an updated assessment on the state of the process,
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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,
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 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
eventual referenda,
Considering that undermining the UN’s credibility undermines the peace
process itself,
Highlighting the importance of the supporting role of the international
community, and in particular that of the parties concerned in taking practical steps
towards helping the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders to exploit fully the
current opportunity,
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 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 has ceased as a result,
noting the continued danger posed by mines in Cyprus, and urging rapid agreement
on facilitating the recommencement of demining operations and clearance of the
remaining minefields,
Highlighting the importance of the activities of the Committee on Missing
Persons, urging the opening up of access to all areas to allow the Committee to
carry out their 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 an 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,
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Welcoming the intention of the Secretary-General to keep all peacekeeping
operations, including those of UNFICYP, under close review and noting the
importance of contingency planning in relation to the settlement, including
recommendations as appropriate for further adjustments to UNFICYP’s mandate,
force levels and other resources and concept of operations, taking into account
developments on the ground, and the views of the parties,
Welcoming also the continued efforts of Alexander Downer as the Secretary-
General’s Special Advisor with a mandate to assist the parties in the conduct of
fully-fledged negotiations aimed at reaching a comprehensive settlement, and the
efforts of Lisa Buttenheim as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative,
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 encouraging progress made so far in the fully fledged
negotiations, and the prospect of further decisive progress in the coming months
towards a comprehensive and durable settlement that this has created;
2. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General (S/2011/498);
3. Recalls Security Council resolution 1986 (2011), and calls upon the two
leaders to:
(a) intensify the momentum of negotiations, engage in the process in a
constructive and open manner, and work on reaching convergences on the remaining
core issues in preparation for their meeting with the Secretary-General in January
2012, and for further work in the following months towards a settlement;
(b) improve the public atmosphere in which the negotiations are proceeding,
including by focussing public messages on convergences and the way ahead, and
delivering more constructive and harmonised messages; and
(c) increase the participation of civil society in the process as appropriate;
4. Urges the implementation of confidence-building measures, and looks
forward to agreement on and implementation of further such steps, including
military confidence building measures and the opening of other crossing points;
5. Urges all parties to be more forthcoming in accommodating the
Committee for Missing Persons exhumation requirements throughout the island
including in military areas in the north;
6. Reaffirms all its relevant resolutions on Cyprus, in particular resolution
1251 (1999) of 29 June 1999 and subsequent resolutions;
7. Expresses its full support for UNFICYP and decides to extend its
mandate for a further period ending 19 July 2012;
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8. Calls on both sides to continue to engage, as a matter of urgency and
while respecting UNFICYP’s mandate, 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;
9. 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;
10. 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;
11. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report on implementation of
this resolution, including on contingency planning in relation to the settlement, by
1 July 2012 and to keep the Security Council updated on events as necessary;
12. 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 pre-deployment
awareness training, and to take disciplinary action and other action to ensure full
accountability in cases of such conduct involving their personnel;
13. Decides to remain seized of the matter.