Tripoli, 26 April 2014

It is an honour to be invited to today’s gathering, and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Justice and Construction Party on the occasion of convening its first General Congress.

At a time when Libya is facing a difficult moment in its democratic transition, I take heart from the theme of today’s gathering: “together we inculcate democracy and consensus”.

The Libyan people made huge sacrifices in their quest for a free democratic state that upholds their freedom, human dignity and political rights. Three years ago, the world watched in awe as the people of Libya finally broke the shackles of dictatorship they had endured over decades. Their sense of pride, achievement and hope for the future and the democratic state they wanted to build for themselves, their children, and for future generations was an inspiration for many of us on the outside.

For decades, political parties were frowned upon, even outlawed, in Libya. Political party affiliation was tantamount to treason. All semblance of political life was systematically destroyed, and along with it, all notions of civic responsibility and fundamental rights relating to freedom of expression, the right to equal protection under the law and other basic human rights. Ultimately, the Libyan people were denied their right to organise, participate in, and contribute to the political, economic and cultural life of their society and country.

Today, the Libyan people have a unique opportunity to build the modern democratic state they aspire to. Key to this democratic transition is the active participation of effective political parties. While political parties can exist without a democracy, no democracy can exist without political parties.

Political parties fulfil functions that are fundamental to the democratic process. They act as the organic link between politics and society, and hence are uniquely positioned to develop policies and programmes that reflect public needs and national aspirations.

Political parties are also a key intermediary between the institutions of the State and societal components, whether ethnic, cultural, religious, regional or economic. And in modern day democracies, political parties play a crucial role in rallying support for legislation, advocating in the interest of public welfare, advancing the interests of citizens, in addition to maintaining political oversight over governments.

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Along with the principle of majority rule that is at the heart of any democracy, so too are the principles of individual rights, and a commitment to the values of inclusion, tolerance, compromise, and cooperation. A culture of consensus and consensus building is fundamental therefore to democratic societies.

This brings me back to the difficult moment that the Libyan people are facing today in their country’s democratic transition. Without this consensus and willingness of all political parties and forces to constructively and meaningfully engage with each other, it is difficult to see how agreement can be reached on resolving the existing political polarisation, let alone advance the democratic transition and state-building agenda.

We at the United Nations, along with our international partners, have continued to underscore the importance of political dialogue to the process of forging consensus on the way forward, and more importantly, on enabling the various political and civil society and other forces to build a relationship of mutual trust and cooperation. Only through political dialogue can the foundations be laid for the beginnings of a national dialogue process that will form the basis for a comprehensive political agreement, sustainable reconciliation and the peaceful resolution of the many challenges and problems bequeathed to the Libyan people from decades of authoritarian rule.

I salute today’s gathering. And I take this opportunity to humbly remind political leaders gathered here of the huge responsibility that have been entrusted to them by the Libyan people.

Thank you.