UNSMIL provides support and advice to Libyan authorities at their request on organizing elections, one of the cornerstones of Libya’s democratic transition as stipulated in the National Transitional Council’s Constitutional Declaration of 2011. Efforts have focused on technical and operational advice to key interlocutors, principally the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) during the General National Congress elections of 7 July 2012, those for the Constitution Drafting Assembly on 20 February 2014, and the elections for the House of Representatives (HoR) on 25 June 2014. In between, and following these elections, the UNSMIL electoral team focused on consolidating capacity and raising awareness of electoral stakeholders, and in particular of the HNEC on electoral matters and systems, women’s participation and voter registration systems among others.

United Nations electoral assistance is undertaken by an integrated team that brings UNSMIL together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). UNSMIL has the lead in coordinating electoral support provided by other international organizations and works closely with other UN entities in advising national electoral authorities on the inclusion of women in all aspects of the electoral process.