The European Commission has signed a new agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), allocating an additional €5 million to support the work of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage for the years 2025 – 2029, according to a press release.

This funding, part of the EU Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community, aims to support efforts towards Cyprus’ reunification by safeguarding and restoring the island’s diverse cultural heritage, it is added.

As the main contributor of the work of the Technical Committee since 2012, the European Union has provided a total of €32.5 million, demonstrating its dedication to building confidence and reconciliation in Cyprus. In collaboration with UNDP, the Technical Committee has restored and preserved over 160 cultural heritage sites across the island.

In addition to preserving cultural heritage, this new project phase will continue to involve younger generations through the Heritage Ambassadors initiative, encouraging them to be active custodians of Cyprus’s shared heritage, the announcement says.

The project will further digital preservation and online accessibility, by digitalising restored sites, offering enhanced virtual tours, 3D reconstructions and online archiving.

The European Commission underlines in its press release that it supports the work of the Technical Committee in protecting and safeguarding the diversity of cultural heritage of Cyprus and in raising the public awareness on the role that heritage plays in peace building.