UN Political and Peacebuilding Affairs

Twenty-four young men and women from 18 municipalities across Libya’s Western Mountains called for greater youth representation in political decision-making, increased opportunities for women and a stronger role for local governance during a meeting with the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Stephanie Koury, yesterday. The meeting brought together members of the Youth Union of Jabal, a youth-led initiative established in 2017 to promote cooperation and reconciliation between communities. Participants stressed that young people must be recognized as partners in finding solutions to Libya’s political challenges, rather than excluded from decisions affecting their future. “As young people in Libyan society, we often feel reluctant to engage with others about the state of our country. We feel embarrassed that, to date, we have been unable to reach an agreement. We need assurances and guarantees that will help ensure the current roadmap does not fail,” said one participant during a discussion on the outcomes of the Structured Dialogue and the next steps in the political roadmap process. Female participants also emphasized the importance of ensuring that women, including those from cultural components, have meaningful opportunities to contribute to political discussions, reconciliation and decision-making. They called for increased training and capacity-building opportunities from the UN to strengthen women's participation and leadership. “We need women who are educated and able to be partners in decision-making," said one participant. "We cannot build the future of Libya without half of the society. When you empower women, you are not only changing the life of one woman, but you are also expanding the horizons of an entire community,” she added. Read more: ow.ly/Cvzw5105LO4

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) convened today the Berlin Process Economic Working Group (EWG) Plenary at its premises in Tripoli, bringing together Libyan institutions, member states and international and regional organizations to discuss Libya’s pressing economic and financial challenges and explore coordinated support for Libyan-led reforms. In her opening remarks, SRSG Hanna Tetteh noted that despite favourable energy prices in 2026, Libya faces growing economic pressures, including excessive public spending, dinar depreciation and declining purchasing power, with the Libyan people bearing the brunt. She warned that weak economic governance, political interference in sovereign economic and oversight institutions, and illicit activities, including fuel smuggling and money laundering, continue to divert billions of dollars away from the Libyan people and undermine economic and financial stability. Stressing the close links between economic governance and Libya's broader political process, the SRSG called for concrete, coordinated action to strengthen institutional accountability, safeguard public resources and ensure that Libya's national wealth benefits all Libyans. The meeting was co-chaired by Egypt, the United States, the European Union and UNSMIL, with participation from Libya’s National Audit Bureau and the National Oil Corporation. In addition to the co-chairs, international participants joining in person and online included representatives of Algeria, France, Germany, Italy, Morocco, the Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Spain, Türkiye, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, as well as the Arab League and the African Union. Discussions focused on measures necessary to enhancing transparency and oversight of public resources, safeguarding key sovereign institutions, and addressing illicit economic and financial activities, including fuel smuggling, illicit financial flows and money laundering, in view of strengthening economic governance for the Libyan people. Participants also listened to presentations by representatives of Libyan institutions on Libya’s ongoing reform efforts in the oil and banking sectors, implementation challenges and areas where coordinated international support could add value. The plenary underscored the urgency of reforms and close cooperation with national institutions, and considered practical follow-up priorities for international stakeholders to support fiscal stability, institutional coherence and coordination, transparency and accountable economic governance, under the shared objective of ensuring that Libya’s national wealth serves the interests of all Libyans. 🔗 Read SRSG Hanna Tetteh’s opening remarks at Economic Working Group plenary meeting: ow.ly/VVx35105pKG

Yesterday, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Political Affairs @stephaniekoury1 met with the Head of Libya’s General Authority for the Search and Identification of Missing Persons (GASIMP), Dr. Kamal Abubaker, to discuss their work in locating and identifying missing persons, as well as the challenges that remain. The discussion covered the significant work undertaken and the needs of GASIMP in addressing cases in Tarhouna and Murzuq, identifying victims of the 2023 Derna disaster, and resolving other cases stemming from years of armed conflict across Libya. Both sides stressed the importance of advancing this work to clarify the fate and whereabouts of missing persons, uphold families’ rights to truth and justice, and ensure that these efforts contribute to broader transitional justice and national reconciliation in Libya. The UN is proud of its longstanding support to GASIMP through the joint UNSMIL-UNDP Missing Persons Programme and remains committed to strengthening this partnership.