Statement by Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya Stephanie Williams on the first round of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum
Acting Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (ASRSG) and Head of the United Nations Support Mission (UNSMIL) in Libya Stephanie Williams announced yesterday the conclusion of the first round of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF), which took place from 7-15 November in Tunis, Tunisia.
The talks took place on the basis of the mandate of Security Council Resolution 2510 (2020), which endorsed the conclusions of the Berlin Conference on Libya held on 19 January 2020.
The 75 Libyan representatives to the LPDF consensually agreed on a Roadmap to credible, inclusive and democratic national elections, to be held on 24 December 2021. This historic date, which will mark 70 years to the day since Libya declared independence in 1951, will finally provide Libyans with an opportunity to end the transitional phase and choose a new way forward.
The roadmap represents a rights-based process and responds to the hopes and demands expressed by the many Libyan stakeholders, groups and people the UN has engaged with throughout this process thus far.
Participants also agreed the need to reform the executive authority in line with the conclusions of the Berlin Conference. They outlined the structure and prerogatives for the Presidency Council and a separate Head of Government. They also decided on eligibility criteria for these posts.
Women participants at the LPDF came together to issue a statement outlining a series of principles and recommendations for improving women's participation in the political process and governance. They stated the need for better representation of women in political life, and for the State to fulfill its international commitments regarding the rights and protection of women. Their demand that women should account for no less than 30% of leadership positions in the reformed executive authority was also echoed in the Roadmap, attesting to the positive role they played in the dialogue.
The Roadmap, Prerogatives Document, Eligibility Criteria and the statement from the women participants form the formal outputs of this round of the LPDF. Discussions will continue in the coming weeks online over reforming the executive, and on the constitution. An online meeting of the LPDF is already planned for November 23 in order to reach an agreement on the selection criteria for the reformed Presidency Council and the Prime Minister.
No single event can ever fully represent Libya's diversity. This latest round of the LPDF came after months of consultations and work with youth, women, municipalities, the Libyan Economic Experts Commission and the rapidly progressing military talks with the Joint Military Commission. All these tracks will continue in parallel with the political process over the next few months.'
ASRSG Williams thanks the 75 Libyan personalities who form the LPDF for their national spirit and their expressed desire to forge an inclusive solution to the longstanding Libyan crisis. She expresses her gratitude to Tunisian President Kais Saied for Tunisia's generous hosting of the event and to the Governments of Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union for their generous material assistance for the event. ASRSG Williams also takes this opportunity to express her sincere gratitude to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue for its tireless assistance and support to the LPDF.
Attachments in order:
A. Roadmap
C. Prerogatives
