TRIPOLI — How did the Governance, Security, Economy, and National Reconciliation and Human Rights Tracks of the Structured Dialogue select the priority issues to be addressed?
One thing that has factored into the discussions over the past month is the results of an online survey the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), completed in December, that collected opinions from more than 1,000 Libyans.
Below is an overview of what Libyans identified as top concerns in the survey, which was presented during the inaugural Structured Dialogue plenary in December, and how these views align with the issues the Tracks have agreed to focus on over the next few months. The Dialogue will produce concrete recommendations on each of the selected topics and identify mechanisms to ensure their implementation.
“Libyans have engaged with this process thoughtfully and constructively,” said Hanna Tetteh, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya. “Their input is shaping a dialogue grounded in public expectations and national realities. UNSMIL will continue to provide opportunities for citizen engagement, and I encourage continued participation to ensure the process delivers practical, Libyan-owned recommendations with solid implementation mechanisms.”
Priority issues on governance
The first thing the Governance Track agreed to address is ways to reach a political agreement prior to elections.
Most survey participants supported elections, with 86 per cent indicating a willingness to vote, but more than 60 per cent stated that a prior agreement among all parties to accept election results is essential. In written answers, participants emphasized that elections without a political agreement would lack credibility and risk renewed conflict and called for binding commitments backed by enforcement mechanisms and international guarantees.
One of the most explicitly prioritised governance issues people highlighted in the survey (64 per cent of respondents) was clarifying the functions of the government that will oversee elections, which the Governance Track also added to the Structured Dialogue agenda. Participants repeatedly called for a unified, temporary executive. To prevent prolonged transition and the hijacking of public resources to benefit those in power, 58 per cent indicated a clear mandate, transparent selection, fixed timeframe and oversight would all be required.
Participants also expressed little trust that elections can succeed without international support in the form of oversight, monitoring, sanctions, asset freezes, and legal consequences for obstruction. They emphasized that, without agreement on a political system, elections risk reproducing conflict rather than resolving it. Fifty-four per cent ranked decentralisation and local governance reform as a priority.
The Governance Track will examine all these issues and any additional challenges that might be raised in upcoming rounds of public consultations.
Priority issues on economy
The Economy Track agreed to prioritise the following issues to address during the Structured Dialogue: unifying the national budget, reforming oil-revenue governance, and identifying solutions to fiscal pressures that drive everyday hardship for Libyans, such as liquidity shortages, increasing public debt, growing foreign currency deficits, and exchange-rate volatility.
In the survey, 72 per cent of respondents indicated that political division “strongly impacts” their everyday life, with economic concerns listed among the top three worries. In line with this, 66 per cent of participants indicated support for adopting a unified and transparent national budget as a key economic reform priority. Many noted in written answers that the absence of a single national budget is a driver of the duplication of spending and inequitable service delivery.
Meanwhile, 71 per cent of respondents expressed strong concern about corruption and misuse of public funds. Many explicitly cited a lack of transparency in oil income flows and the political capture of sovereign resources. Only 22 per cent believe the current oversight bodies are effective.
Priority issues on security
During their first session this month, Structured Dialogue Security Track members started discussions on election security, which was also identified as a key concern by survey respondents. While 73 per cent said they would vote in elections if they were held tomorrow, a significant majority said they feel “unsafe” expressing political views and only 23 per cent said they feel “very safe” participating in political activities.
Moving forward, Security Track Members also agreed to discuss preventing conflict and supporting stabilisation, unifying military and security institutions, and strengthening security sector governance.
More than 70 per cent of respondents said general security has improved over the past two years, but security was still listed among the top three ways political division affects daily life across the country. Notably, participants said they continue to associate the unstable political situation with risk, escalation, and potential violence—supporting the Track’s decision to prioritise discussions on conflict prevention and stabilisation.
Perceptions of safety also varied significantly across regions, making security and military unification a logical priority for the Structured Dialogue to address. Respondents consistently cited parallel authorities and fragmented control as drivers of uneven security provision and uncertainty over who is responsible for protection.
Priority issues on national reconciliation and human rights
The National Reconciliation and Human Rights Track has agreed to analyse transitional justice issues, such as prosecutions, truth-seeking, reparations, and internally displaced and missing persons. Members will also discuss expanding civic space and public freedoms—such as freedom of expression, press, association, and peaceful protest—and unifying the judiciary and ensuring its independence.
Eighty-one per cent of respondents identified barriers to achieving justice as one of the most significant challenges facing the country. In their written answers, respondents associated past human rights violations and abuses, unresolved grievances, and the absence of consequences with increased political polarisation and growing distrust in state institutions.
Respondents showed strong support for judicial reform, repeatedly linking weak judicial independence to political interference, selective application of the law and an inability to resolve electoral and constitutional disputes.
Shrinking freedom of expression (72 per cent) was also a top concern. Respondents frequently emphasised that free expression is essential to exposing corruption, monitoring authorities, and holding political actors accountable. Speech constraints also contribute to the spread of misinformation and disinformation, rumour driven politics, and political disengagement, many said.
At the same time, while 72 per cent of survey respondents said they believed that public participation in civic activities can influence political decision-making, they also expressed concern about growing restrictions on freedom of assembly, including on civil society organisations. Many expressed concern about repression, intimidation, and a lack of protection.
To learn more visit our Structured Dialogue web page: https://unsmil.unmissions.org/sd
