News has been reported in the media that the road project named Pile-Yiğitler, implemented by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to facilitate easy access to the village of Pile located on the United Nations (UN) controlled Green Line, is being attempted to be obstructed by the UN Peacekeeping Force.

The international human rights framework imposes various obligations on States to ensure individuals' access to fundamental rights and freedoms and their effective enjoyment of these rights and freedoms. These obligations encompass providing physical transportation routes for individuals to access their rights in a humane manner, without requiring any additional effort. Indeed, Goal 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals, titled "Sustainable Cities and Communities," emphasizes the need to “provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport”.

All international agreements that safeguard human rights, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, aim to ensure equal and non-discriminatory application of these rights for everyone. These agreements place obligations not only on member states but also on international institutions and organizations. Article 1 of the United Nations Charter, dated June 26, 1945, includes among the purposes of the UN “to achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion” thereby entrusting the UN and its organs with the responsibility of fostering the strengthening of human rights through necessary cooperation.

As the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye (HREIT), within the scope of its duty “monitoring and evaluating international developments in the field of human rights and combating discrimination”, as specified in Article 9 of the HREIT Organization Law, titled the “duties of the Institution”, we hereby state that we closely monitor the intervention related to the road construction project implemented as a humanitarian initiative in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the developments occurring in the region.

Announced with respect to the public.