Republic of Cyprus Second Voluntary National Report - Sustainable development goals

14 Stakeholders’ engagement HUMAN RIGHTS The Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family (SPAVO) operates three shelters for victims of violence in the family. The SPAVO Houses are the first purpose-built shelters in Cyprus, increasing the country’s capacity to provide support for victims of domestic violence. Equipped with treatment and education facilities, operating 24/7, the shelters provide a safe and stable environment for women and their children. • The Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (MIGS) is an active NGO in promoting gender equality. A significant amount of its work is financed through European funds. Indicative programmes are the Coalesce project, that aims to help victims of trafficking, the BEE Project for Boosting Gender Equality in Education, and the IJCC – Improving Justice in Child Contact project. • “Hope for Children” UNCRC Policy Center (HFC) – is a very active NGO in protecting children and in developing measures that combat any form of violence against children. • The “Breaking the Mould: Promoting Gender Equality in Cyprus,” funded by the European Commission, aims at promoting flexible working arrangements for men and women in Cyprus, encouraging companies to implement simple, family-friendly measures and changing the stereotype in the image of masculinity. PEACE • The “Imagine” project implemented by the Association for Historical Dialogue and Research and the Home for Cooperation under the auspices of the Technical Committee on Education is based on a holistic understanding of a culture of peace and non-violence, and aims to increase contact and cooperation between students of the two communities in Cyprus. Among other things, the project aims to tackle racism, discrimination and xenophobia, while promoting equality and tolerance. ENVIRONMENT • The Marine Litter Transnational Legislation Enhancement and Improvement project, funded by the Interreg Balkan Mediterranean, addresses the problem of marine litter, aiming to boost legal frameworks and increase the capacity of public bodies and wider society to deal with the growing problem of marine littering. • The Bythos project, funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), aims to map the seafloor down-to 200 meters. • The RECONNECT project, funded by Interreg Balkan Mediterranean, aims at creating an online platform as part of the Citizens Science initiative, where divers are encouraged to visit the pilot study areas (in the case of Cyprus, the Marine Protected Area (MPA) Cavo Greco), and report online information on pollution (e.g. marine litter items, lost fishing gears). • The ΒeMed Beat Plastic Cyprus project, funded by the Prince Albert II Foundation of Monaco, develops a worldwide network of NGOs aimed at reducing disposable plastics (diffusion about the effects of plastic pollution, development of a strategy to reduce the use of plastic products for organisations, feasibility evaluation, and creation of a network of interested organisations). • The Plastic Waste-Free Islands project, developed in full synergy and cooperation with the Cyprus Sustainable Tourism Initiative, aims to reduce plastic leakage in Cyprus, by improving the dissemination of information and knowledge on waste generation and by strengthening the adoption of measures to reduce plastic spills from the tourism, fisheries and waste management sectors. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY • The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Network Cyprus in cooperation with pertinent Government Services are tasked with formulating, promoting, supporting, and implementing measures that contribute to the cultivation and enhancement of the CSR culture in Cyprus. • Many Cyprus organisations and businesses contribute to the achievement of SDGs through their plans of action for CSR, ranging from supporting local charities and causes to adopting holistic sustainable business practices.