CPDC at The Strategic Peacebuilding Academy 2025

The Strategic Peacebuilding Academy 2025 brought together nearly 50 civil society and policy experts from conflict zones around the world to share lessons from peace processes and explore inclusive and sustainable approaches to conflict transformation.

Dr. Meltem Onurkan Samani found the opportunity at various sessions to present the multi-dimensional peacebuilding work of CPDC, highlighting how the organisation brings together former decision-makers, experts, and citizens to build common ground on Cyprus. She also shared CPDC’s collaborative initiatives with the OPEK group to inform communities through the media, and the efforts to convene citizen assemblies to shape an inclusive roadmap for the peace process.

CPDC’s work on documenting human rights violations related to the Cyprus problem, encouraging interdependence through joint economic initiatives, and developing sustainability committees in energy and water sectors were shared as examples of bottom-up contributions to reconciliation. The organization’s educational efforts to cultivate a federal culture on the island were also spotlighted.

Dr. Onurkan-Samani emphasised that while the reappointment of María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar as the UN Secretary-General’s envoy is welcome, limiting efforts to a few confidence-building measures may only maintain the status quo. Without meaningful convergence and political will, even agreed-upon measures risk remaining unimplemented. Therefore, the active involvement of civil society and citizen initiatives on both sides is vital to the process.

Throughout the conference, key speakers included prominent figures like Monica McWilliams from the Northern Ireland peace process and Francisco Diez, advisor to Special Envoy Holguín. Sessions explored gender inclusion in peace processes, mediation challenges, post-accord reconciliation, and comparative lessons from Bosnia and Northern Ireland—offering critical insights relevant to Cyprus.