The Republic of Kazakhstan has made its first financial contribution to the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) with a donation on Tuesday of $10,000 (€8,600), Unficyp announced on Wednesday.

Unficyp said the funds “will contribute to the committee’s goal of identifying and returning the remains of missing individuals in 2026, bringing to an end the uncertainty which has affected the families for so many years”.

So far, 1,069 missing persons from both communities have been identified and returned to their families for dignified burials.

The CMP was established in April 1981 under the auspices of the UN by an agreement between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, following a call to establish a mechanism made in two UN General Assembly resolutions.

The exhumation, identification and return of remains project became operational in 2006 and the European Union continues to be the project’s main financial contributor.

The CMP relies on donor support to implement its bi-communal project.