A/HRC/34/56/Add.1 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 3 March 2017 Original: English Human Rights Council Thirty-fourth session 27 February-24 March 2017 Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Report of the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights on her mission to Cyprus* Note by the Secretariat The Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights undertook an official visit to Cyprus from 24 May to 2 June 2016. She addressed key issues related to the right of people to participate in cultural life, including the right to access and enjoy cultural heritage without discrimination and irrespective of group affiliations. She paid particular attention to the impact of the situation in Cyprus on the enjoyment of cultural rights, with a specific focus on obstacles to freedom of movement, interaction between people, access to cultural heritage sites and the legacy of past and ongoing destruction of cultural heritage. The Special Rapporteur is convinced that a critical task on the road to reconciliation is to assemble a shared narrative and documentary record of past destruction of cultural heritage, in the north and in the south of the island, which entails mutual acknowledgement that there are divergent narratives about that history. Equally crucial are strategies promoting exchanges between people at all levels and not only in official circles, particularly in the field of culture and in academic spheres. Creative, intermediate, shared and widely accessible spaces, venues and engagements are needed for such exchanges. Many stakeholders in Cyprus from all sides, including at the highest level, have understood the restoration programme of cultural sites as a path towards reconciliation. The Special Rapporteur encourages them to continue and redouble their efforts in that regard, while better integrating the human dimension of cultural heritage in the process. That implies adequately consulting people on their diverse relationships with and interpretations of the sites and on how to restore them. It also entails adopting strategies considering cultural heritage as living heritage, with proper plans for the future use and maintenance of sites in a way that facilitates and ensures the exercise of cultural rights in dignity. The report contains recommendations to the Government of the Republic of Cyprus, the Turkish Cypriot authorities and other stakeholders. * The present document was submitted after the deadline in order to reflect the most recent developments. GE.17-03497(E) 