Changes from resolution motion to adopted text

17. Encourages EU-wide awareness-raising about conflict-related sexual violence and the long-term consequences thereof in order to break taboos, combat stigma and empower survivors to come forward;

18. Supports the organisation of a high-level public hearing with the participation of people who have survived conflict-related sexual violence worldwide, and especially in Cyprus, women’s rights organisations and peacebuilders, experts in international criminal law and representatives of civil society, in order to formally recognise their testimonies and experiences within the EU institutional framework and to show the gravity of the 1974 Turkish invasion;

19. Stresses the need for stronger legal frameworks in Cyprus and for victim-centred justice mechanisms to properly address the conflict-related sexual violence that targeted countless women and guarantee appropriate responses to victims’ calls for justice;

20. Strongly condemns the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, which is a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions, and calls on the Commission to raise awareness of this issue by reflecting on the Cypriot conflict experience, in order to prevent further violence and take action should new conflicts break out; further calls on the Commission to continue promoting accountability and supporting initiatives, including dedicated financial mechanisms, that uphold the rights of victims and their families, to promote remembrance, to advance gender equality within the EU and to facilitate victims’ social reintegration;

21. Calls on the Commission to reinforce its financial support to the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus so that it can fully fulfil its mission of exhuming, identifying and returning missing persons’ remains to their relatives, who include Cypriot women who continue to face profound psychological distress in addition to the specific impact of the war; stresses, however, that financial assistance alone is insufficient given the continued lack of full cooperation, restricted access to military areas and archives, and obstruction by Türkiye and the illegal secessionist entity in the northern part of Cyprus, which significantly hinder the effective functioning and timely completion of the Committee’s humanitarian mandate;

23. Reaffirms that the EU has not only a political but also a moral and legal obligation to uphold the dignity, rights and historical memory of all EU citizens, including Cypriot women and men who suffered conflict-related violence, and highlights the need for sustained engagement and principled action in addressing such serious violations so as to ensure consistency with the EU’s external commitments to gender equality and human rights;

24. Calls for reinforced and sustained EU financial and technical support for victim-centred services in Cyprus, including specialised trauma and gender-sensitive counselling, long-term psychosocial assistance and intergenerational healing programmes, which are specifically tailored to survivors and their families and are provided by qualified and specialised personnel to prevent secondary victimisation;

25. Supports Cyprus’ full implementation of UN Resolution Security Council 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security, particularly through the adoption of an enhanced and more comprehensive national action plan, and calls for the inclusion of more women in the peacebuilding processes;

26. Calls for full compliance with the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, particularly as regards support for victims of sexual violence and due diligence in preventing, investigating, punishing and providing reparation for such acts of violence;

27. Commends the work of civil society organisations and bicommunal groups on gender equality in Cyprus, including grassroots civil society initiatives, particularly those led by women, and applauds their role in fostering trust, reconciliation and dialogue; encourages the exchange of good practice between Cyprus and other countries with experience in violations of women’s rights; urges the Commission to enhance cooperation with Cypriot civil society, victims’ associations and relevant international bodies engaged in truth-seeking and reconciliation efforts, including through the provision of adequate EU funding;

28. Reaffirms the binding nature of UN Security Council resolutions concerning Cyprus;

29. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the European External Action Service and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and asks that it be translated into Turkish and forwarded to the President, Government and Parliament of the Republic of Türkiye.