TRIPOLI – During an online session of the Structured Dialogue’s (SD) Governance Track on Tuesday, Special Representative of the Secretary General for Libya and Head of UNSMIL, Hanna Tetteh, underscored that public participation is the cornerstone of a sustainable political transition.
Some 100 hundred Libyans from across the country joined an open online discussion with SRSG Tetteh to pose questions and offer recommendations on overcoming challenges to developing a viable path toward elections.
“Engaging the public is a vital component of the Structured Dialogue,” said SRSG Tetteh. “When I presented the roadmap to the UN Security Council, the objective was to help lead Libya to elections. This requires several key actions, including the completion of the HNEC Board and a review of the electoral framework. However, it also necessitates engaging the public and SD members to identify practical ways to move forward.”
Participants raised concerns regarding guarantees and whether SD recommendations would be enacted, stressing the impact of the ongoing crisis on their daily lives. They also emphasized the importance of ensuring the inclusion of youth, women, and cultural components from all regions.
“The longer this crisis continues, the more it affects our lives and our children,” said one participant, a housewife from the south. She called for timebound recommendations to ensure national institutions complete necessary actions within an agreed timeline. “We are bleeding and crying out for a solution,” she added.
The SRSG clarified that UNSMIL does not hold the executive authority to govern Libya or change governments, nor is it attempting to do so. The Mission’s mandate is to support, engage, and advocate with national authorities to implement solutions and progress.
“There is fundamentally a misunderstanding of the role of UNSMIL, it is our job to be supporting the strengthening of Libyan institutions, governance and democracy," said SRSG Tetteh.
UNSMIL has established an online youth platformto increase youth engagement in the SD and is organizing specific discussions with young men and women nationwide to gather their ideas and recommendations.
Further online discussions for all Libyans will be held in the coming weeks, focusing on the three other SD tracks: economy, national reconciliation, and human rights and security.
The Structured Dialogue aligns with UNSMIL’s mandate to use its good offices to facilitate an inclusive, Libyan-owned, and Libyan-led political process. The initiative aims to advance consensus on governance arrangements toward elections and long-term stability without predetermining outcomes.
