№2 (1)

1.

Resolving the Cyprus Water Crisis: A Multi-Track
Diplomacy Approach
Tracks covered:
Track 2: Peace activism
Track 1: Private citizens
Track 4: Religion
Kalinin, Grebneva, Bagnyuk, Shisha, Andreeva, Onoshko

2.

Crisis
Cyprus faces a severe freshwater shortage, made worse by the island’s political
division.
The southern (Greek Cypriot) government and the northern administration are in
conflict, yet they share the same water resources.
Key actors: states, international organizations, religious communities, private citizens,
and peace activists.
Diplomatic cooperation is critical because water cannot be managed by one side
alone; it requires dialogue and shared responsibility.

3.

Our Tracks: Definition & Characteristics
1.
Track 4: Religion
Core characteristics: working with people of different religions in various areas
Global example: The Community of Sant'Egidio (a Catholic group) helped rewrite peace lines and stop the civil war in
Mozambique by bringing different sides together.
2. Track 1: Private Citizens
Core characteristics: individual people exchanges from different cultures, learning new skills and carrying out these skills in
their own countries
Global example: The US-Soviet Citizen Diplomacy programs during the Cold War. Ordinary Americans and Russians visited
each other to show they wanted peace, which helped lower nuclear tension.
3. Track 2: Peace Activism
Core characteristics: Non-violent, risk-taking and innovative, challenges systems through collective action.
Global example: The "Women Wage Peace" movement in Israel and Palestine. Thousands of women from both sides march
together to demand a political solution to the conflict, which politicians refuse to do

4.

Our tracks and how they operate
Key Actors:
​Orthodox Christian and Muslim religious leaders.
​Ordinary citizens from both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities.
​Local peace activists and local community groups.
​NGOs that connect different religions and communities.
Key Actions:
​Religious leaders write joint letters to tell people that protecting water is a moral duty for everyone.
​Private citizens meet in joint projects (like shared campaigns to save water) to build real, everyday
cooperation.
​Peace activists organize workshops and meetings to shape an outcome of unity around the water crisis,
instead of division.
​They communicate across communities to agree on small, shared goals for water conservation and fair use.

5.

Challenges and limitations
Political tension: The deep division between the two sides makes it very difficult and risky for
people to meet and organize joint events.
No formal power: Ordinary citizens and activists have no official power. They cannot compel
governments to act or dissolve long-standing rivalries on their own.
Limited resources: Religious groups are often very small and lack the funding (money) to
build large water projects.
Risk of being politicized: Some people might think that these activists or religious leaders are
biased (supporting only one side), which can ruin their neutrality.
Slow progress: Building trust between divided communities takes a very long time, so the
results are not immediate

6.

Contribution to Peace
Supporting foreign policy:
Our tracks help the foreign policy of both sides. Water shortage is a dangerous threat, so working together helps the national
interests of both communities. We build trust, which helps official government talks (Track 3) work better.
Multi-track synergy
We partner with Track 6 (Funding) to get money for water projects.
We partner with Track 9 (Education) to teach people how to save water.
We work with Track 5 (Non-Gov to Non-Gov) to help local activist groups and NGOs work together.
Diplomatic endeavours:
Our diplomatic endeavours - like peace workshops and meetings between religious leaders—make communication better and
help stop the conflict
The heart of diplomacy:
We show the real meaning of diplomacy: it is the ability of ordinary people to talk to each other and solve problems when
governments cannot.

7.

Religion, Private Citizens, and Peace Activism tracks are very
important because they build trust and help divided people talk
to each other about the water crisis. They work with ordinary
people on the ground and support bigger diplomatic
endeavours for peace.
Can multi-track diplomacy solve the Cyprus water crisis?
Yes. Official government talks are often stuck because of
politics, but multi-track diplomacy helps ordinary people,
activists, and religious leaders work together to share and save
water.