Nicosia Turkish Cypriots join European Coalition of Cities Against Racism

The Nicosia Turkish Municipality (LTB) has joined the European Coalition of Cities Against Racism (Eccar).

Announcing its joining of the coalition, LTB said it “represents local governments in the United Nations’ system and defends universal solidarity and cooperation against all kinds of discrimination.”

They added that the municipality has “diversified and expanded its service areas for the support of and solidarity with society to combat all kinds of discrimination and violence,” and that it is “trying to adapt the best practices from different parts of the world” to northern Nicosia.

“The LTB will continue to act with the awareness that cities and local governments are a key stakeholder of this struggle,” they said.

The announcement also contained reference to the Istanbul convention, which was signed by the states of the Council of Europe in 2011 and acts as a treaty on combatting domestic violence and violence against women.

Turkey left the Istanbul convention in 2021, and Turkish Cypriot Nicosia Mayor Mehmet Harmanci had reacted furiously when the north’s ‘labour ministry’ removed the convention from northern Nicosia’s violence against women protocol.

The LTB becomes the second municipality in Cyprus to join Eccar, after the Greek Cypriot Nicosia Municipality.

Eccar describes itself as “an initiative launched by UNESCO in 2004 to establish a network of cities interested in sharing experiences in order to improve their policies to put an end to racism.”