USAID supports cooperation between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to reduce tensions and promote a climate that will foster reconciliation and a durable peace settlement on the long divided island. USAID’s partnership with Cyprus began as a humanitarian relief operation in the summer of 1974 and has since evolved into a peace and reconciliation program that uses evidence-based research to engage citizens, including women and youth, in problem solving and decision making in a range of sectors from cultural heritage preservation to economic interdependence.