A/HRC/22/18 51. On 21 September 2012, a discussion on “barriers to women’s participation in decision making” took place in the bicommunal rooms of the Ledra Palace hotel in the United Nations buffer zone, organized as a follow-up of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000).39 In the discussion, representatives of 18 non-governmental organizations presented nine recommendations which could be implemented with a United Nations contribution in order to enhance Cypriot women’s role in the Cyprus peace process. The Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Cyprus and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General attended the gathering and received the civil society’s recommendations on behalf of the United Nations. The recommendations were the result of a workshop that same morning where non-governmental organizations addressed gender issues from both the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities in Cyprus as they focused on the role of women in peace, security and decision-making. Participants raised the need for the United Nations to enhance the relationship between non-governmental organizations and stakeholders to support public consultations on policy matters. They also urged the United Nations to support a campaign on human security, support training for men on gender issues and provide technical support to a women’s dialogue on the Cyprus problem. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General described the concerns expressed as very serious, noting that there should be more gender balance in the peace process. The Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Cyprus reminded that the United Nations has raised the issue of gender balance with the two sides on a number of occasions and tried to promote greater community-level participation, in particular by engaging more women in the process. 52. In his mission report (A/HRC/22/51/Add.1), the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief encouraged civil society organizations to continue the important work on building trust between the southern and northern parts and different communities, noting the importance of active and equal participation of women in civil society programmes and interreligious dialogue initiatives (paras. 89 and 90). Referring to the Security Council’s call on all actors, when negotiating and implementing peace agreements, to adopt a gender perspective, the Special Rapporteur reiterated the views of the Gender Advisory Team that “effective representation of women should be guaranteed in decision-making on matters pertaining to property held in common by minority groups and other religious or cultural associations administering property on behalf of communities or minority or cultural groups” (para. 91).40 III. Conclusions 53. There have been some positive developments on the question of human rights in Cyprus, such as efforts by civil society organizations, including women’s groups, to build sustainable trust between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots as well as the commendable work done by bicommunal committees, including the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage and the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus. 54. The persisting division of the island, however, continues to constitute an obstacle to the full enjoyment in mutual confidence by the whole population of Cyprus of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. It is important to ensure that there are no human rights protection gaps and that all persons can effectively enjoy their fundamental rights wherever they live. 39 40 16 See www.unficyp.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=5245. Referring to the Gender Advisory Team’s recommendations on property rights. Available from www.uncyprustalks.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=5183&tt=graphic&lang=l1.