cyprus activities & movements - 10 - Media Advisory

Heidi Trautmann

10 - Media Advisory - Road Safety 4/12/2010 Monday 12 April 2010 Tomorrow - Tuesday, 13 April - at 12.30 pm, an event will be held at the Ayios Dometios/Metehan crossing point in Nicosia to mark the launch and first distribution of a new information leaflet on Road Safety. The Road Safety leaflets are an initiative by the UN-supported Technical Committee on Crime and Criminal Matters (TCCCM) in an effort to increase road safety for all Cypriots and visitors who utilize the Cypriot road systems. The event will be attended by the two respective heads of the TCCCM Professor Andros, Kapardis and Mr Hakki Onen and the Facilitator for the TCCCM Commander Phil Spence BM, Deputy Senior Policing Adviser for UNFICYP. The leaflets are written in three languages, English, Greek and Turkish and set out the road rules of each side providing clear information to all road users of the requirements of the road rules and the consequences if any road rules are broken. The initiative is being supported on both sides by the respective Insurance Councils. The heads of the Insurance Councils will also be attending the launch. This achievement by the TCCCM is another example of the cooperation between both sides on law enforcement and public safety issues that seeks to ensure the safety and welfare of all Cypriots. The event is open to the media. There is no need to pre-register to attend. About the TCCCM The TCCCM is one of seven specialized committees formed as a confidence building measure between the two communities with support of the United Nations. The Technical Committee, a direct result of an agreement reached between the two Cypriot leaders on 21 March 2008 through which they set out to resume full-fledged negotiations, is a mechanism for information sharing and joint initiatives on legal and criminal matters on the island. The TCCCM has been successful in promoting a number of law and order and social issues in recent times including the establishment of the Joint Communications Room (JCR) in May of 2009 to facilitate the timely exchange of information in relation to crime and criminal matters. The JCR organizes meetings with representatives from both communities on a daily basis with the aim of providing a united approach to dealing with the issues of crime and criminals. The TCCCM also facilitated a seminar on 'Children at Risk' in January 2010 where speakers from both communities addressed the issues surrounding youth crime and anti-social behaviour and mechanisms for dealing with these situations. The seminar was attended by teachers and councillors from both communities and was considered a great success. The United Nations applauds the efforts of the TCCCM and looks forward to continuing to assist this dynamic committee with developing more initiatives for the betterment of all Cypriots. Media enquiries can be addressed to: Mr Rolando Gomez - UNFICYP Public Information/Spokesperson's Office: gomez10@un.org Tel: 22614546 fax: 22.61.4461 / 601.4461