Italy, EU, UNDP and UNICEF partner with Presidential Council in €50 million programme to support basic services in 24 Libyan Municipalities
Italy, the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) joined representatives of the Presidential Council (PC) and the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli for the first meeting of the Steering Committee of the programme “Recovery, Stability and Socio-Economic Development in Libya”.
The three-year programme, funded by the European Union with €50 million in the framework of the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, aims to improve the living conditions and resilience of the most vulnerable populations in 24 municipalities across Libya. It targets municipalities highly affected by migration flows and displacement processes of the Libyan populations.
Jointly formulated by the European Commission and Italy in close coordination with the PC, the GNA and with other relevant national and municipal authorities, the programme is implemented by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), with a budget of €22 million, UNDP and UNICEF, for the remaining €18 and €10 million respectively.
Libyan authorities and implementing partners convened to discuss opportunities to directly respond with this programme to the needs of Libyan citizens by supporting municipalities. The aim is to strengthen municipalities in providing basic services, through rehabilitation works, equipment provision and capacity building activities, with a focus on the education, health, water and sanitation sectors.
Minister of Local Governance Baddad Gansu stated: “The Governments of Libya and Italy started discussing this very important initiative over one year ago. I am very glad to confirm today that all our hard work has paid off. The first Steering Committee of this programme is an important step to confirm the effectiveness of the partnership between the Libyan Government, the European Union and Italy to improve the capacity of the Libyan central and local authorities in delivering key services to the population. We look forward to working closely with the implementing partners of the programme – namely the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, UNDP and UNICEF – to ensure that communities in all Libyan regions can benefit from this exemplary cooperation”.
“This is a historic day: after one and a half year of joint hard work of Italy and the Presidential Council today we announced the start of the operational phase of the biggest European Union-funded program in Libya. Thanks to our intense and fruitful work with the Ministry of Local Governance, we have established with the Libyan partners a robust framework to address the main requirements of 24 municipalities in all Libyan regions. The first meeting of the programme’s Steering Committee was a crucial moment for the implementing partners (Italy with €22 million, UNDP with €18 million and UNICEF with €10 million) to understand the priorities and goals of the Libyan Government. Our priority is to support Libyan institutions in achieving stability by strengthening their infrastructure for service provision, while improving the Libyan population’s living conditions. We look forward to work closely with our Libyan and international partners to achieve our common goals in the coming months”, said the Italian Embassy in Tripoli.
“This is the largest programme that the European Union has ever financed in direct support to improving the delivery of key public services by Libyan municipalities. Providing timely access to quality services, in particular for the most vulnerable people of the country, is essential for the future of Libya. As the Programme covers 24 Libyan municipalities, it aims to contribute to a wide and balanced coverage across the whole country» stated the European Union Ambassador to Libya, Mr. Alan Bugeja.
“After seven years of conflict and increasing migration flows through Libya, the ability of local municipalities to meet the needs of their populations have been severely hampered, with children and young people particularly affected,” said UNICEF Special Representative in Libya, Mr. Abdel-Rahman Ghandour. “This latest funding from the European Union, therefore, is extremely welcomed and means UNICEF will be able to ensure that more children are protected, able to get education in a safe environment and access the health services that they need.”
“Municipalities are playing important role in the self-governance of communities. We are pleased to be part of this programme as we hope it will play vital role in changing people's lives by addressing some of their most pertinent needs, localizing SDGs, and harnessing their potential despite crises” declared UNDP Country Director, Mr. Sultan Hajiyev.
The Steering Committee meeting reaffirmed the strong commitment of all involved actors to support Libyan stabilization and to closely cooperate for the benefit of Libyan communities.
(Source: UNDP)