“You would be me, and I would be you”: Language as Peacebuilding in the case of HADE

As Cypriot leaders return to the negotiating table with a renewed attention to viable confidence-building measures, opening new checkpoints and even establishing a bicommunal committee on youth, language remains notably absent from the agenda. This policy report argues that while these steps are welcome, they overlook a foundational element of reconciliation: communication itself. Drawing on insights from grassroots efforts like HADE, I suggest that language ought to be legitimised as a policy domain—one that outlines practical steps to embed the idea of multilingualism in the architecture of peace. Relegating language to the margins of formal negotiations has created a blind spot in peacebuilding efforts. Amid the layered debates surrounding other ‘priority’ issues, one vital question remains overlooked: if a political settlement were reached tomorrow, how would Cypriots communicate?