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Since 1997 the Regional Bureau for Europe
and CIS (RBEC) of the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) has
been managing various programmes
aimed at supporting the peace-building
process in Cyprus. These include
the Bi-communal Development Programme
(BDP), the Action for Cooperation
and Trust (ACT) and the Partnership
for the Future (PFF). All RBEC programmes
in Cyprus were designed and implemented
in full co-operation with the Cypriot
authorities to respond to immediate
needs.
The accession to the European Union marks
a new stage in the island's history,
but despite past and present national
and international initiatives, the existing
socio-economic gap between the Greek-Cypriot
and Turkish-Cypriot communities is still
a major obstacle to the peace-building
process in Cyprus.
To fill the gap between the northern part
of Cyprus and the Republic of Cyprus,
RBEC has established a new trust fund,
which will support the sustainable development
of the Turkish-Cypriot community through
the quick delivery of targeted technical
assistance projects. Contributions to
the Fund, in cash or in kind, may be
accepted by RBEC from Governments of
Member States of the United Nations and
of the Specialized Agencies as well as
from intergovernmental or non-governmental
organizations, or from private sources.
Partnership Fora
On the other hand, UNDP in Cyprus is giving
intra-island trade a boost with the establishment
of Partnership Fora, which seeks to bring
Cyprus's two communities together to
do business and thus contribute to the
reconciliation process. Funded by the
European Union under the UNDP Partnership
for the Future (PFF) programme, the project
fosters business by promoting direct
personal contact between Greek-Cypriot
and Turkish-Cypriot companies.
Meetings between enterprises are arranged
by the UNDP/PFF based on matching business
interests. Since meetings focus on one
product/service group at a time, they
also provide opportunities for identifying
and analyzing obstacles hampering intra-island
trade and for subsequent follow-up action.
So far two Partnership Fora have been
successfully organized, focusing on ICT
and the furniture industry and more events
are planned.
Giuseppe Belsito, UNDP/PFF Business Development
Adviser, said that psychological barriers,
bureaucratic obstacles and lack of awareness
are some of the reasons that continue
to prevent the island's two communities
from forming business partnerships. But
the Partnership Fora shows that "the
private sector can be a formidable reconciliation
force in a post-conflict situation," he
said.
http://europeandcis.undp.org/?menu=p_article&articleID=269
http://news.undp.sk/index.cfm?fuseaction=browse.article&id=12&aid=267&pid=1
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