Cypezokyli: besides, who said it will be a non-paying private school? fees may well be an option. Parents could pay something small if their incomes were over a certain amount.
Mills: This was my idea. As you suggested, it may be worthwhile for parents to pay something small if their incomes allowed it.
Zan: Which organisations do you think are going to put money into a non fee-paying private school?”
Mills: (Some thoughts on funding: mostly taken from my paper, but I’ve tried to add a few things here.)
Using the metaphors of oil exploration and venture capital, countries and organizations that are trying to resolve conflicts in other areas might be willing to invest significantly in a resolution plan in Cyprus that could then pay dividends for resolving the conflicts that are of primary interest to them.
I. Why conflict-resolution benefactors in other parts of the world might look at Cyprus as a incubator and thus worthy of some funds:
Jay Rothman a conflict resolution practitioner who has experience in Cyprus, states,
a) “For the past three decades, conflict resolution experts and theorists have gone to the island of Cyprus with two goals in mind: to attempt some progress in the long stalemate between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and to simultaneously test and refine theory and practice in the field. In effect, the conflict in Cyprus has become an incubator for conflict resolution scholars as they apply their skills to a relatively non-volatile but nonetheless deeply intransigent conflict." - (
http://www.aepro.org/inprint/papers/cyprus.html )
II. Reasons why Cyprus makes an attractive conflict-resolution incubator for parties working on other conflicts
a) An island – naturally removed from unrelated but potentially disruptive conflicts
i) But a geographic location that is seen as important by prospective donors
ii) Cyprus lies at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe.
b) Relatively non-volatile > less than 5 conflict-related deaths since 1975 (unlike Israel)
c) Physiological needs are met (unlike Darfur and the Congo)
d) A clear line of divide between two ethnically homogeneous communities where children on one side do not have regular interactions with the other children (unlike Belfast)
i) A divided capital as well
e) The presence of a U.N. peacekeeping force that is seen as relatively neutral by the two parties (unlike Korea)
f) Both parties have offices in the U.S. and in the U.K., and thus these two countries are seen as relatively neutral (unlike Korea)
i) Important if the U.S. and U.K. are to provide technical assistance
g) A small population (under a million total)
i) Important because with all else equal, only a small number of participants in the resolution effort are needed in order to have a significant impact on the island’s population (unlike the border at Wagah between Lahore, Pakistan and Amritsar, India)
h) A highly literate population, which allows for managers of the resolution effort to come from within the setting and to also comprehend cutting-edge research
i) Connections to donors
i) In addition to both sides having offices in the U.K. and in the U.S., the Republic of Cyprus belongs to the European Union, which is likely to be the chief benefactor of any resolution effort (unlike East and West Timor)
j) The presence of a local cooperative learning association, who might play a role in resolving the conflict; in this case, The Cyprus Association of Cooperative Learning (
www.cyacl.net )
i) Several of the aforementioned conflicts do not have such an association in their area.
k) The presence on each side of a language that is seen as relatively neutral; English in this case
l) Memories of peaceful, integrated living among the older segment of the population
i) Unlike several of the aforementioned places
III. If a successful resolution model could be copied elsewhere, it is worth seeking funding from those parties that on the surface might not have an interest in Cyprus, in addition to the potential benefactor countries that are known to have an interest in the Cyprus problem.
a) The Japanese, the Chinese, and the South Koreans - for a school that might work in the Korean DMZ with maglev trains from either the two Korean capitals or from Seoul and Kaesong, the second-largest city in the North, which, like Seoul, is very close to the DMZ.
i) There is currently a maglev train in operation from downtown Shanghai to the Shanghai airport. See
http://www.shanghaiairport.com/en/airline02_d.jsp
b) Middle Eastern countries and others who are interested in funding a project that might work in Jerusalem one day i) Linking the proposed school to a future one in Jerusalem might draw unwanted attention to it (the Beslan siege in Russia, etc.)
c) Those organizations and countries who are trying to assist the Indians and Pakistanis with their dispute. If a school in Nicosia is shown to have a significant impact on a Cyprus resolution, a similar one could be built at Wagah on the India/Pakistan border.
IV. Cost of the school
a) Fixed Cost Total: €300 million (guess)
i)The bulk of this expense would be the construction of new buildings, computers, and any security equipment deemed necessary.
b) Annual Operating Costs (guess): €61.2 million
i) Assuming 17 grades, 72 students per grade, and €50,000 spent on a student per year of instruction.
ii) Free tuition might weaken the cognitive dissonance that parents might feel, as in “I’m only doing this because it’s free.” Therefore, it might be wise to have those who are above a certain income pay a small amount such as €200 per year (or maybe even €100). This would drop the money needed to cover the annual operating costs to €61.0 million.
V. Current donors to Cyprus (these numbers here might represent dollars; I’m not sure)
a) Turkey now spends about €324 million annually in direct financial support to the Turkish Cypriot government.
b) The U.S. provides €8-12 million per year for bicommunal work in Cyprus through USAID.
c) The U.N. is currently spending roughly €44 million on peacekeeping activities there, though most of this comes indirectly from Greece and the Republic of Cyprus.
VI. Willing donors if the Annan Plan had passed
a) The U.S. pledged €324 million.
b) The EU announced that it had €200 million ready.
i) Not sure if this differs from the 200 million euros pledged to Turkish Cypriots in economic support
ii) In a first needs assessment, the EU stated that the international community should contribute 2 billion euros over a period of five years.
1) Quote by Gunter Verheugen, the EU’s Enlargement Commissioner, in 2004: “We have a first need assessment that shows the international community should contribute two billion euros over a period of five years. I am convinced that the international community will be able to organize the money that is needed to address the issues which we have identified.”
- (
http://cyprus.typepad.com/changing_trains/annan_plan/ )
c) The UN announced that they would increase their UNFICYP forces.
VII. Other prospective donors
This year, 2005, has seen a lot of fundraising for Africa debt relief. On July 7, the G8 leaders pledged to double the 2004 levels of aid to Africa from US$25 to US$50 billion by the year 2010. What if a similar campaign was made for the Share-a-Square School approach to assist with resolving the major conflicts of the world that countless leaders have fruitlessly tried to resolve already – Cyprus, Jerusalem, the Korean DMZ, then Indian/Pakistani border, etc.? For Cyprus, we are only asking for €361 million in the first year and then €60 million per year after that. Granted, the G8 leaders might not contribute everything that we ask for, but they might be willing to do much more than our most conservative guess if the Cypriot leaders are willing to put their children together in the same classroom.