Unficyp report: budget cuts for a leaner force

The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (Unficyp) has been operating through budget reductions and structural reorganisation, a UN report presenting the budget performance for the periods from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025 and July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 said.

The report recalled that the mandate of Unficyp “was established by the Security Council in its resolution 186 (1964)” and most recently extended “until 31 January 2027”.

“The operations of the force remained stable within the overall objective of maintaining peace and security in Cyprus and facilitating a return to normal conditions,” the report said.

Unficyp “enhanced its efforts in all areas of its mandate, including preventing tensions and maintaining a calm and stable environment on the ground, political engagements and supporting initiatives aimed at trust-building and cooperation”.

It continued to support “confidence-building measures through the facilitation and co-facilitation of technical committees” and engagement on “the clearance of minefields and suspected hazardous areas”.

“The absence of meaningful progress towards the resumption of formal negotiations, limited intercommunal contact and violations of varying severity contributed to persistent tensions.”

The report raised concerns over rising costs “particularly for commercial flights and civilian personnel”.

Financially, Unficyp incurred $55.3 million in expenditure for the budget performance period, representing a resource utilisation rate of 97.9 per cent in 2024/25. The “unencumbered balance of $1.2 million reflects the reduced operational costs” linked mainly to lower military personnel requirements and deferred acquisitions, the UN said.

For 2026/27, the proposed budget amounts to $56.3 million, representing a decrease of $1.0 million, or 1.8 per cent compared with 2025/26. The reduced requirements are “attributable primarily to the lower requirements for uniformed personnel and international staff” and “the proposed abolishment of civilian personnel posts”.

In 2026/27, Unficyp “will continue to prioritise efforts that contribute to the prevention of a recurrence of fighting, the maintenance of law and order and a return to normal conditions”.

It added that the force will also support “seven technical committees, including the newly established Technical Committee on Youth” and encourage the clearance of “the remaining 29 minefields, including four in the buffer zone”.

Gender and youth inclusion remain central. Pursuant to resolution 1325 (2000), UNFICYP will support “the full, meaningful and effective participation of women in peace and political processes” and continue “gender-inclusive peacebuilding activities with youth- and women-led peacebuilding efforts across the island”.

The report also outlined structural adjustments by combining positions.

Overall, staffing proposals reflect “the prioritisation of operational requirements and optimised deployment, enabling essential outcomes to be delivered with a leaner footprint”, the report said.

Efficiency measures include the reduced deployment of military contingent personnel, reduced deployment of United Nations police officers, and the “abolishment of two field service posts and nine general service posts”.

In summary, the report depicts a mission operating in a stable but politically constrained environment, maintaining “peace and security in Cyprus” while adjusting its structure and resources to ensure effective mandate delivery under tighter fiscal parameters.