Gender in the Cyprus negotiations

The report examines the marginalization of women in the Cyprus peace process and the efforts of civil society groups, such as the Gender Advisory Team (GAT), to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325. It highlights the low political representation of women on both sides of the divide and the dominance of a masculinist lens in conflict narratives. The author details specific recommendations for governance, property, and economic rights in a potential federal state, while evaluating the limited impact of the Technical Committee on Gender Equality established in 2015.

• Women's political participation in Cyprus remains low on both sides of the divide, with women holding 17.86% of parliamentary seats in the Republic of Cyprus and 18% in the north.
• The peace negotiations have historically sidelined women's issues by prioritizing the resolution of the conflict over gender equality.
• The Gender Advisory Team (GAT), formed in 2009, has advocated for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 in Cyprus, proposing specific legal and institutional parameters for a future federal agreement across governance, property, and economy.
• GAT recommends that a future federal Cyprus adopt gender-sensitive language in its constitution and implement quotas of 30-50% for women in governing structures, including a dedicated Ministry of Women's Affairs.
• The report argues that citizenship in a post-conflict Cyprus should be flexible and disentangled from ethnic identity to protect the rights of minorities such as Armenians, Latins, Maronites, and Roma.
• The Technical Committee on Gender Equality, established in 2015, is the most significant step by leaders to address the gender perspective, yet it is criticized for a lack of transparency and for being treated as a marginal addition to the negotiations.
• Despite the stalemate in negotiations, some legislative progress has occurred, including the Republic of Cyprus passing legislation on civil partnerships and the north decriminalizing homosexuality.
• The author suggests that the current 'women, peace, and security' framework should evolve into a 'gender, peace, and security' (GPS) mentality that includes LGBTQ individuals and addresses gendered identities beyond a binary.

APA

Demetriou, O. (n.d.). Gender in the Cyprus negotiations. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/1b000c4e-bdbc-4fa5-b925-30ca4f622312/Gender in the Cyprus negotiations.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Demetriou, Olga. Gender in the Cyprus negotiations. Peace Research Institute Oslo, n.d. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/1b000c4e-bdbc-4fa5-b925-30ca4f622312/Gender in the Cyprus negotiations.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Demetriou |first1=Olga |title=Gender in the Cyprus negotiations |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/1b000c4e-bdbc-4fa5-b925-30ca4f622312/Gender in the Cyprus negotiations.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{demetrioundgender, author = {Demetriou, Olga}, title = {{Gender in the Cyprus negotiations}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/1b000c4e-bdbc-4fa5-b925-30ca4f622312/Gender in the Cyprus negotiations.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }