Libya’s Humanitarian Partners discuss operations

1 Apr 2016

Libya’s Humanitarian Partners discuss operations

On Wednesday 30 March, Libyan and international NGOs, relevant Government partners, international partners and UN Agencies met to share experiences on common challenges and assistance delivery mechanisms. The Humanitarian Country Team led by the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Ali Al-Za’tari, convened an important meeting to discuss the most pressing humanitarian issues in Libya.

The United Nations and its partners are delivering life-saving medical, food, protection, and water and sanitation assistance throughout Libya. Essential medicines and medical supplies have been donated to Libyan hospitals and health clinics, benefiting up to one million people. Food assistance is being provided to up to 180,000 people, primarily internally displaced people. Over 30,000 people have received non-food items since November last year, and coordination with municipalities and local partners has helped ensure an estimated 32,500 people can access clean water and sanitation facilities.

The United Nations and its partners are ready to further scale up assistance, however, additional funding is required. Only US$18 million has been received to date for the 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan, which has appealed for US$ 166 million. As a result, the food and medicine stocks are poised to deplete. A much needed injection of US$ 12 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has been received enabling operations to continue for few months. However, international and regional support is needed to scale up operations and reach all Libyans in need.

As main outcomes of Wednesday’s meeting the humanitarian partners identified gaps and challenges in the implementation the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) such as lack of resources, specific access constraints, and insecurity due to ongoing conflicts.

Effective coordination tools of assessments and information management were also discussed which will allow for better knowledge sharing and ultimately better informed and more effective humanitarian operations.

As a result of this meeting, new opportunities for increased partnerships emerged. “The UN, Libyan NGOs, and international NGOs are working together to respond to the needs of Libyan vulnerable population where possible. These enhanced partnerships are key to reach more areas where the humanitarian assistance is needed and they will ensure the expansion of assistance delivery inside Libya” said Mr. Al-Za’tari “these important achievements show the commitment of the Humanitarian Country Team towards the people of Libya; now it is up to the international community to meet this challenge by providing the much needed financial resources to save lives in Libya”.