Cyprus Forum

The closing panel of Cyprus Forum Cities 2026 handed the floor to five secondary school students from across Limassol, and their testimony was among the day’s most direct.

The sixth panel of Cyprus Forum Cities 2026 confronted one of Cyprus’ longest-running governance failures: the absence of a single mobility authority, despite years of planning and political attention.

The fifth panel of Cyprus Forum Cities 2026 explored how youth and civil society are reshaping civic participation in Cyprus with concrete results to point to.

The fourth panel of Cyprus Forum Cities 2026 examined Cyprus’ path toward Pay-As-You-Throw waste management and exposed a significant gap between EU obligations and on-the-ground readiness.

Cyprus landfills 76% of its municipal solid waste against an EU average of 23%, and generates 653kg of waste per person annually, well above the EU norm. The third panel of Cyprus Forum Cities 2026 asked why biogas, technically feasible, remains commercially unviable.

The second panel of Cyprus Forum Cities 2026 put Cyprus’ newly created District Local Government Organisations (EoA) under scrutiny with the chairmen of four districts and several mayors offering a candid account of the reform’s first year.

The first panel of Cyprus Forum Cities 2026 put a blunt question to Cyprus’ most senior municipal voices: has local government reform delivered genuine decentralisation or just reshuffled dependency?

Marina Pastou, Research Manager at IMR/University of Nicosia, presented the findings of the second consecutive annual survey tracking public perceptions of local government in Cyprus following the recent reform.

In a recorded address, Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, opened with a stark framing: housing is a human right yet the world is in the grip of a global housing crisis, with prices rising more than 20% between 2012 and 2024.

In a recorded address, Kieran McCarthy, Member of the European Committee of the Regions, welcomed the proposed EU Agenda for Cities and its three-dimensional framework: strengthening dialogue with cities, simplification and capacity building through tools.

Evangelos Akylas, Vice-Rector of Financial Planning and Development at the Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK), made the case for the university as an engine of social, economic, and cultural regeneration.

Yiannis Armeftis, Mayor of Limassol, welcomed delegates to Cyprus Forum Cities 2026, noting that this year’s forum carries special significance as it is held under the auspices of Cyprus’ Presidency of the Council of the EU and co-funded by the European Union. #CyprusForum

Opening Cyprus Forum Cities 2026, Nicolas Kyriakides, Executive President and Founding Member of Cyprus Forum, called local government “the pillar on which our societies are built”, the level of governance closest to citizens and best placed to deliver meaningful change.

Cyprus Forum Cities 2026 is live on YouTube today. Watch live on YouTube and follow the conversation. youtube.com/watch?v=9rhUvG…

The 15-Minute Limassolian: resilience and youth realities Please, register here: forms.gle/QDvcXPXDGa8zbw… #CyprusForumCities

P.O.V. EkfraCY - Participation Of Voices through EkfraCY workshop Please, register here: forms.office.com/e/YQmphegReF #CyprusForumCities

Shaping Climate Justice Policy for Cyprus Please, register here: forms.gle/QDvcXPXDGa8zbw… #CyprusForumCities

The Governance Gap: Planning Cyprus’s Single Mobility Authority Please, register here: forms.gle/QDvcXPXDGa8zbw… #CyprusForumCities

Civic Space in Action: Youth, Civil Society and the EU’s Global Role Please, register here: forms.gle/QDvcXPXDGa8zbw… #CyprusForumCities

Pay-As-You-Throw: Local Implementation and the European Path to Sustainable Waste Management Please, register here: forms.gle/QDvcXPXDGa8zbw… #CyprusForumCities