At the European Heritage Congress in Amsterdam in June 2011, European Commissioner for Education and Culture Androulla Vassiliou and Europa Nostra President Plácido Domingo presented the Europa Nostra Award for Research to the bicommunal Nicosia Master Plan team for its interdisciplinary study of the architectural heritage of the Buffer Zone in the walled city of divided Nicosia, Cyprus. The first of its kind, this pioneering survey was carried out by a team of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and made possible by funding from USAID, through the UNDP Bicommunal Development Program. Unanimously acclaimed by the jury as an excellent example of a conservation project in a sensitive area of Europe, the Buffer Zone Survey was also lauded for bringing the two sides together—something that is crucial for the future unification and integration of the city and, indeed, of the island. View a video with more information on the Survey.