Solutions to Cyprus’ falling birth rate discussed at Nicosia conference

Cyprus’ aging population and declining birth rate is a “a national responsibility” which must be addressed, Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides said on Friday. Speaking at a health conference in Nicosia, Charalambides warned the nations’ demographic change will affect the staffing and financing of services, and urged that “preparation must precede the need”. “Health can provide a platform for understanding even where there are political differences”, he said, while making clear it “cannot resolve conflicts in isolation”. Archbishop Georgios accused the “Turkish invasion and the continuing occupation” as the primarily cause behind the declining birth rate. “Failure to at least replenish the population carries the greatest risks,” he said, voicing concern that “Greek Cypriots will become a minority in their homeland”. In contrast, Nicosia mayor Charalambos Prountzos proposed that medicine can instead serve as “a bridge” between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, through better use of medical infrastructure and easier patient access to specialised services. He remarked that the population has grown by 30.4 per cent over 20 years, almost entirely through migration, and stressed that longer lives require “dignified living”. UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Cyprus, Khassim Diagne, said health has become “a global issue that brings people and states together”. George Patoulis, president of the Athens Medical Association, called demographics “a common challenge” for Cyprus and Greece that demands “coordinated action”. Petros Agathangelou, president of the Pancyprian Medical Association (CyMA), cited the World Health Organisation’s Global Initiative for Health and Peace and said well-designed programmes can strengthen “dialogue and social cohesion”. He argued that family policies being implemented must respect individual autonomy in reproductive matters. Dr Konstantinos Pantos, vice president of the World Hippocratic Institute of Physicians, acknowledged that although assisted reproduction such as IVF offers “significant possibilities” it cannot in itself overcome biological limits. Professor Elizabeth Johnson, of the European University Cyprus, announced that Nicosia will host the international conference “All Together for Better Health” next year, drawing on the Stoic tradition of the Cypriot born philosopher Zeno of Citium. The event took place at the European University Cyprus as part of Hippocratic Week and Hippocratic School 2026.