The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) represents the cultural and political identity of countless Turkish Cypriots around the globe. Despite the TRNC's significant historical and geopolitical role, it remains underrepresented in the Unicode Standard, which governs emoji used in everyday digital communication. While entities with partial recognition, like Taiwan, Kosovo, and Palestine, have flag emojis, the TRNC remains excluded, limiting the digital expression of Turkish Cypriots globally.

TCExist.com has officially submitted a proposal to Unicode, advocating for the inclusion of the TRNC flag emoji. To strengthen our submission, we have launched this campaign, rallying support from the community & supporters to amplify our request for the TRNC flag to be officially recognized and added to the emoji set.

By signing this petition, you support the inclusion of the TRNC flag emoji in the Unicode Standard, a step toward ensuring that Turkish Cypriots can express their identity and pride just like other communities around the world.

Why is This Important?
1. Representation in Digital Spaces:
Emojis are a global digital language that allow people to express their identity quickly and universally. For Turkish Cypriots, the absence of their flag in emoji form is a significant gap in representation. The TRNC flag is a powerful symbol of the community's resilience, culture, and history. Including this flag would provide millions of Turkish Cypriots, both in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and abroad, a way to represent their heritage in digital spaces.

2. Global Presence and Recognition:
The TRNC plays a crucial role in regional geopolitics and is recognized by Türkiye, one of the most influential nations in the Eastern Mediterranean. Additionally, the TRNC is a member or observer in several important political organizations such as:

1. Organisation of Turkic States (OTS): Observer status.

2. Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC): Member state. These memberships further emphasize the TRNC’s international relevance. By excluding the TRNC flag, Unicode is overlooking a significant portion of the global conversation.

3. Diaspora and Expats:
There is a significantly large Turkish Cypriot diaspora living in countries like the UK, Türkiye, Australia, the United States and Europe additionally with hundreds of thousands of expats, choosing the TRNC as their home. These communities actively engage online, and the ability to use the TRNC flag emoji would allow them to express their connection to their homeland, much like any other national flag does for other global communities.

Precedents in Unicode:
• Taiwan, Kosovo, and Palestine—entities with similar or less international recognition—are already represented with flag emojis. The exclusion of the TRNC flag sets an unfortunate precedent, undermining the inclusivity that emojis are meant to represent.

• Unicode has an opportunity to correct this oversight by including the TRNC flag, ensuring that the Turkish Cypriot people, which has a rich and longstanding history, is not left behind.

What We Are Asking For:
We are calling on Unicode to:

1. Review and Approve the Inclusion of the TRNC Flag Emoji.
The inclusion of the TRNC flag emoji will help promote digital representation for Turkish Cypriots globally. It will also align Unicode's emoji offerings with their mission of fostering inclusivity and diversity.

2. Acknowledge the Global Demand:
Through this petition, we seek to demonstrate the wide-reaching demand for the TRNC flag emoji. By signing this petition, you are joining a growing movement calling for greater representation in digital communication tools.

How You Can Help:
1. Sign the Petition:
Add your voice to the thousands already calling for the inclusion of the TRNC flag emoji.

2. Spread the Word:
Share this petition on social media using hashtags like #TRNCFlagEmoji, #UnicodeTRNCFlag, and #TurkishCypriotPride to raise awareness and gather more signatures. 

3. Engage in the Discussion:
Join the conversation on our social media and highlight the importance of cultural representation in digital spaces. Our Facebook group link is here

Together, we can ensure that Turkish Cypriots receive the recognition they deserve in the digital world. Sign today to help make the TRNC flag emoji a reality!

Hashtags to Use on Social Media:

•             #TRNCFlagEmoji

•             #UnicodeTRNCFlag

•             #TurkishCypriotPride

•             #TRNCEmojiNow

•             #RepresentationMatters

•             #TCEemojiCampaign