Nicosia, Cyprus, October 24, 2026.- Invited by Mr. Khassim Diagne, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), the Cuban ambassador in Nicosia, Rubén Pino Martínez, attended the Open Day for United Nations Day in Cyprus, together with the diplomatic corps accredited in this capital.
The avenue where the Ledra Palace Hotel in Nicosia now stands, right on the Green Line that separates the two capital communities, hosted throughout the afternoon the UN family, civil society organizations, youth, students, community groups, and the public from all over Cyprus, under the motto “UN Cyprus: Working Together for Peace and Progress.”
A necessary day that promoted, from the everyday perspective and the own experiences of UNFICYP across the island, exchange, participation, and learning for the attending audience about the work carried out by colleagues from across the United Nations system on the island.
As Mr. Khassim Diagne, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces in Cyprus, said, at the UN "we work to eradicate poverty and hunger, promote human rights, and celebrate life," supported by a global system here and now represented by UNFICYP entities, the UN Good Offices Mission, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Under the supervision of the latter, an international group of volunteers (medical students and health professionals) provided primary medical check-ups to attendees, as a unique and interactive practice of this Open Doors Day for United Nations Day (2026) on the Mediterranean island.
Also present was the Committee of Missing Persons in Cyprus (which includes a UN component) to attend to and oversee the maintenance and support of the peace process across the island, which includes sustainable development, the protection of refugees and migrants, humanitarian action, cultural heritage, and public health, among other areas.
It became an essential interactive day of exchanges with UN staff and specialists and their partners, to encourage—together and focused on the younger generations—how UN programs and projects work, to see the volunteering and collaboration opportunities available, and to promote collective reflection around dialogue, peace, cooperation, reconciliation, and how to build trust.
Another plus for the UN’s work in Cyprus and its partnerships with civil society, youth leadership and peacebuilding, human rights, inclusion, environmental sustainability, community action, and everything that can be done to protect Cyprus’s shared cultural heritage, in favor of strengthening its communities.
Without a doubt, the youth took on the undeniable spotlight of this event. Multiple spaces were dedicated to children and young people to introduce them to the role of the United Nations and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), through educational and creative interaction proposals.
Embassy of Cuba in Cyprus.