UN Secretary General visits Committee on Missing Persons in Nicosia

On July 28, 2026, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres visited the anthropological laboratory of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) located within the UN Protected Area in Nicosia. The visit focused on the committee’s ongoing humanitarian efforts to locate, identify, and return the remains of missing persons to their families after decades of uncertainty.

During the visit, Guterres was briefed by the CMP’s three members—representing the Greek Cypriot community, the Turkish Cypriot community, and the United Nations—regarding the scientific methodologies employed for identification. He praised the committee's bicommunal operation and its success in providing answers to families affected by the conflict. The Secretary General was accompanied by senior UN officials, including Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, and the Special Representative in Cyprus, Khassim Diagne.

Established in 1981 under UN auspices, the CMP remains a critical mechanism for conflict resolution and humanitarian relief in Cyprus. The committee continues its scientific work to address cases of missing individuals, operating as a collaborative body between the two communities.