A/HRC/28/20 I. Introduction 1. The present report was prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) pursuant to Commission on Human Rights resolutions 4 (XXXI), 4 (XXXII) and 1987/50, and Human Rights Council decision 2/102.1 2. As at 30 November 2014, Cyprus remained divided, with a buffer zone maintained by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). 2 In its resolution 2168 (2014), the Security Council welcomed the resumption of negotiations and the joint declaration adopted by the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders on 11 February 2014, and the cross-visits of the Chief Negotiators to Ankara and Athens, and expressed its support for the ongoing efforts of the leaders and negotiators to reach a comprehensive settlement as soon as possible. The Council noted, however, that the move towards a more results-oriented phase of negotiations had not yet resulted in an enduring, comprehensive and just settlement based on a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as set out in relevant Council resolutions. It therefore encouraged the parties to intensify the substantive negotiations on the unresolved core issues interdependently, stressing that the status quo was unsustainable. 3. During the period under review, from 1 December 2013 to 30 November 2014, substantive negotiations on a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus, interrupted since late March 2012, resumed. Following the appointment by the Greek Cypriot leader, Nicos Anastasiades, of a new Greek Cypriot negotiator in September 2013, the sides engaged in intensive negotiations on the text of a joint declaration to mark the re-launch of full-fledged negotiations. The joint declaration, adopted on 11 February 2014, constituted an important achievement in that it reaffirmed the basis of the talks and the parameters of a federal solution. It also enshrined the leaders’ commitment to engage in structured, results-oriented negotiations. The joint declaration was welcomed by the Secretary-General in a statement made on 11 February 2014 and by the Security Council in its resolution 2168 (2014). On 27 February 2014, the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot negotiators undertook crossvisits to Ankara and Athens, respectively, the first exchange of this type in the Cyprus peace talks. 4. Following a screening phase from February to April 2014, during which positions on all chapters of the negotiations were assessed, the sides tabled concrete proposals on all issues. This “second phase” was concluded on 24 July. On 22 August, the SecretaryGeneral appointed Espen Barth Eide of Norway as his new Special Adviser on Cyprus. During the first leaders’ meeting chaired by the Special Adviser on 17 September 2014, the leaders agreed that the second phase of the negotiations had been concluded and that the sides would move to the next phase of structured negotiations. Accordingly, the 1 2 For an overview of resolutions on the question of human rights in Cyprus, see A/HRC/22/18, paras. 1-4. UNFICYP was established pursuant to Security Council resolution 186 (1964) to prevent a recurrence of fighting between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities on the island and bring about a return to normal conditions. Its responsibilities were expanded in 1974 following a coup d’état by elements favouring union with Greece and a subsequent military intervention by Turkey, whose troops established control over the northern part of the island. Since the de facto ceasefire in August 1974, UNFICYP has supervised the ceasefire lines, provided humanitarian assistance and maintained a buffer zone between the Turkish and the Turkish Cypriot forces in the north and the Greek Cypriot forces in the south (see also www.unficyp.org). 3