A UN working group on the use of mercenaries is in Cyprus to conduct a visit, it was reported on Thursday.
The group investigates the use of mercenaries – privately hired professional combatants – used as a means of violating human rights and impeding the rights of people to exercise self-determination.
According to a UN press release, the delegation to Cyprus is comprised of two of the group’s five members: chairwoman-rapporteur Jovana Jezdimirovic Ranito from Serbia and Michelle Small from South Africa.
The delegation will “assess challenges related to mercenarism, mercenary-related actors and private military and security companies, with particular focus on the maritime sector,” the announcement said.
It will also assess the existing regulatory framework to address these challenges and any existing good practices.
The delegation will meet with government representatives and representatives from the UN, civil society, NGOs, the private military and security industry and other stakeholders, in Nicosia, Larnaca and Limassol.
At the end of the visit on January 24 at 1pm, the delegation will hold a press conference to share their preliminary observations at the Home for Co-operation, in Nicosia.
The particular UN working group was established in July 2005 by the human rights’ commission and its mandate extended by the human rights council in 2008. The group comprises five experts in total, who are independent from any government or organisation and serve in their individual capacity.
The experts work on a voluntary basis and are not UN staff, nor do they receive a salary for their work, according to UN information.
They form part of UN-affiliated independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms addressing specific country situations or global issues.
In addition to the delegation visiting Cyprus the three other current members are Ravindran Daniel (India), Joana de Deus Pereira (Portugual) and Andrés Macías Tolosa (Colombia).
The working group will present a full report of its visit to Cyprus at the 60th session of the UN human rights council in September 2025.
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