UN Rapporteurs Raise Concerns Over Obstacles To ‘Imagine’ Programme

According to an AHDR statement, the letters were submitted on 4 March 2026 under the UN Human Rights Council’s Special Procedures mechanism.

The communications were signed by UN Special Rapporteur on truth, justice and guarantees of non-recurrence Bernard Duhaime, Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights Alexandra Xanthaki and Special Rapporteur on the right to education Farida Shaheed.

AHDR said the rapporteurs warned that attacks, delays and political obstruction targeting the “Imagine” programme could weaken peacebuilding efforts, damage prospects for reconciliation and reverse progress achieved since 2017 in building trust between the two communities.

The UN experts reportedly called for the uninterrupted restoration of the programme in its previous bicommunal format, describing “Imagine” as an important preventive peacebuilding mechanism that should receive institutional support rather than political obstruction.

According to the statement, both sides were given 60 days to respond, although no public response has so far been issued.

The rapporteurs also reportedly carried out a broad assessment of the “Imagine” programme, noting that it was established in 2016 and placed under the auspices of the Technical Committee on Education in 2017 following agreement by the two leaders.

The programme is run by AHDR together with Home for Cooperation and funded by the German Foreign Ministry. It aims to promote intercultural dialogue, critical thinking, equality, anti-discrimination, pluralism, mutual understanding and a culture of peace.

AHDR said more than 8,000 students and 2,600 teachers have participated in the initiative so far. The programme has also been described in UN reports as a confidence-building measure and, according to the rapporteurs, represents “the only functioning mechanism systematically building trust between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities in Cyprus”.

The statement added that the rapporteurs’ letter to the Greek Cypriot leadership focused on delays in issuing the circular authorising participation by Greek Cypriot schools for the 2025-2026 academic year, as well as misinformation campaigns targeting the programme.

The circular was reportedly issued on 18 February 2026, midway through the school year, marking the first such delay since the programme began.

AHDR said some media outlets, politicians and nationalist groups spread misinformation, particularly regarding visits to the north, creating a “climate of fear” that led some schools to withdraw from bicommunal activities.

The rapporteurs reportedly asked the Greek Cypriot side to clarify the reasons for the delay, explain what measures were taken against misinformation and hostile rhetoric, and outline steps taken to implement the Technical Committee on Education’s 2017 recommendations.

Regarding the Turkish Cypriot side, AHDR said the rapporteurs focused on the suspension of the programme since October 2022.

The experts reportedly referred to a circular issued on 31 October 2022, which halted participation in the programme on the grounds of “sovereign equality” and the “two separate states” policy.

According to AHDR, the UN experts stated that the failure to restart the programme had seriously disrupted the project, and asked the Turkish Cypriot side to explain the reasons behind the suspension, whether the decision had been reconsidered, and what measures were being taken in education to prevent the recurrence of violence.

The statement also said the rapporteurs stressed that education systems and public discourse can either strengthen reconciliation or deepen division.

The UN experts reportedly emphasised that supporting human rights education, intercultural dialogue, mutual understanding and coexistence is a positive obligation of states, while also underlining the need to combat hate speech and divisive rhetoric.

AHDR noted that the UN Security Council has repeatedly called on both sides to strengthen peace education initiatives, support the Technical Committee on Education and increase youth participation in the peace process.

The organisation described the intervention by the three UN special rapporteurs as one of the most significant recent international human rights initiatives concerning peace education and bicommunal cooperation in Cyprus.

According to AHDR, the communications place both leaderships under international human rights scrutiny, link obstacles facing the “Imagine” programme to human rights obligations and peacebuilding commitments, and call for the programme to be protected and restored.