News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

226 UN peacekeepers were honored for their service to the cause of peace in Cyprus at UNFICYP’s Summer Medal Parade on Thursday 7 July. The ceremony took place at the Old Nicosia Airport in the UN Protected Area (UNPA). The newly appointed Special Representative of Secretary General (SRSG) and Head…

Nelson Mandela International Day is an opportunity to reflect on the life and work of a legend who embodied the highest values of the United Nations. Madiba was a model global citizen whose example continues to guide us in our work to build a better world for all. Today, we remember a man of quiet…

SASG Eide: Good afternoon. We’ve had a thorough and very constructive meeting with the United Nations Security Council, both on the UNFICYP Mission, under the auspices of the Special Representative, Ms. Spehar, and on the Good Offices Mission, which I lead. The Council expressed strong support –…

The United Nations Secretary-General today announced the appointment of Major General Mohammad Humayun Kabir of Bangladesh as the Force Commander of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). Major General Kabir will succeed Major General Kristin Lund of Norway, who will complete her…

When Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon first appointed me as UNFICYP Force Commander in 2014, I was excited to take on the new challenge. As the first ever female Force Commander of a UN Peacekeeping mission, I was venturing into uncharted territory. As a woman, I not only had to do what every male…

Poverty, violence, human rights abuses and other major problems on the global agenda have in common a failure to respect fundamental norms and values developed over millennia. When greed supersedes concerns about the health of our planet or its inhabitants, when fanatic attachment to ideology is…

All over the world, tens of millions of people are desperately seeking refuge, many of them far from home and even farther from safety. Migrants and refugees face imposing physical obstacles and bureaucratic barriers. Sadly, they are also vulnerable to human rights violations and exploitation by…

Faced with increasing difficulties to locate additional human remains, the CMP urgently needs to broaden efforts to obtain information that may lead to the discovery of burial sites. This includes the review of archival material of international organizations, state actors and domestic authorities…

In a feat of incredible strength, Magdolna Petróczki of Hungary won the Masters European Weightlifting Championship for the 6th time, winning gold in the squat event, gold in the deadlift and silver in the bench press to be crowned the complex winner of the event. At the 12-16 July event in Pilsen…

On 14 August 1974, three Austrian peacekeepers serving with UNFICYP, 1/Lt. Johann Izay, MSgt. Paul Decombe and Cpl. August Isaak, lost their lives in an air attack in the vicinity of the small village of Koshi. Every year, the Mission pays tribute to these three fallen comrades; on 12 August this…

Elizabeth Spehar, former Director of DPA’s Policy and Mediation Division, arrived in Nicosia on 13 June to take up her new role as Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. Ms Spehar also serves as Deputy Special Adviser on Cyprus as…

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) in Cyprus, Ms. Elizabeth Spehar, this afternoon met the UK's Minister for Europe and the Americas, Mr. Alan Duncan, at UNFICYP HQ in the buffer zone. SRSG Spehar welcomed the UK's strong support for UNFICYP & the ongoing Cyprus peace process…