REACHING ACROSS A CLOSED DIVIDE - Peacebuilding from below: a phenomenological study on the CSOs of Cyprus and the impact of regional tensions and COVID-19

Recent years saw several challenges to the conflict resolution of the protracted social conflict of Cyprus. Despite its frozen status, new challenges brought new opportunities for reconciliation. This study aims to contribute to the field of bottom-up peacebuilding. Therefore, this study has used a phenomenological research design to examine and explore how peacebuilding Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Cyprus have experienced the COVID-19 pandemic and the escalations of tensions in the region. Through experiences and descriptions of past events that have helped shape the CSOs goals, and detailed descriptions of current experiences surrounding COVID-19 and the escalations of tensions in the region, this study was able to determine the impact that the recent challenges have had on the selected peacebuilding CSOs and what their hopes and perspectives are towards the future. In short, the lack of physical contact due to the closing of the checkpoints have severely harmed the CSOs peacebuilding activities. Pessimism that has been built upon from the past was further cemented through the political leadership’s actions across the divide and resulted in a bleak outlook on the future from the CSOs