Main Tasks

The organisation of a programme of civil society events that aim to raise the awareness of Cypriots, especially targeting Turkish-speaking Cypriots from all generations and backgrounds. Emphasis will be placed on women, youth and students, whilst harnessing the wealth of social input that is possessed by senior citizens in the context of recording traditional Cypriot common life and common roots and its relevance to civil society.

Young Turkish-speaking Cypriot women have as a consequence of their male counterparts’ tendency towards emigration from Cyprus evolved marriages with Turkish mainland settlers that are of a completely different culture and background. Most recently the political trend of the occupation regime towards intensifying the presence of Islam has had serious repercussions.

Traditionally, Turkish-speaking Cypriots have for centuries not inclined towards the practice of Islam and it did not form part of their cultural identity. Consequently, we identify women, youth and students as target groups.

Our project envisages the presentation of issues that are relevant to ‘what is civil society?’ Therefore, this approach seeks to embrace the whole of the community and absorbs all social classes and gender. Utilising our available media resources we will be able to tackle specific and individual civil society issues as well as strategic civil society pillars that will form the basis of free and democratic civil participation. We consider that these distinctive roles are complimentary and not mutually-exclusive.

At the risk of over-generalisation, the final beneficiaries are people that will be able to access our civil society information programmes from our television, radio and web-based media. Our programmes, however, will be devised according to the publication and broadcast of information at target times aiming at maximum exposure of our target groups.

We are seeking seed funding so that we can help campaign for civil society and action. We have a multi-faceted membership and during the last few years a group of our members that are professionally qualified and also committed to protection of the environment have met with a local Cypriot private-sector water and wastewater treatment specialist to discuss cooperation possibilities given the tendency of the occupation regime to systematically pollute the beaches by pumping untreated waste and sewage into the sea. The incident in Kyrenia in summer last year when thousands of tons of untreated waste were daily pumped into the harbour demonstrated in sharp relief the cynical disregard of the occupation regime towards the environment.

Our project seeks to present and publish information on environmental issues and also seeks European Union support for cooperation with the private sector local specialists who can provide technical/technological solutions and create basic infrastructure to help protect the environment and also make rational re-use of water in the occupied area.

On other issues we have identified two of our women members to lead on issues for gender equality. They will prepare a women’s campaign of information and action with support by a dedicated media advocacy programme.   

Cypriots had prior to 1974 lived in tranquility and peace for centuries.
Most Cypriots wish to live in peace and harmony according to the rule of law and universal common order for all citizens. They should also have the choice to live together in freedom and security without any foreign interference. Since the tragic events of 1974, Cypriots have been forcibly divided from their homes and each other.