TRIPOLI—The Governance Track of the Structured Dialogue defined, during its first formal session from 11 to 15 January, five issues that they will seek to address, including how to reach a political agreement prior to elections, the mandate of the government that will oversee elections, the integrity of the electoral process and international support, the country’s political system, and the structure of state and local government.
The Governance Track, which includes 38 percent women, will analyse these issues over the coming few months and make implementable proposals through a Libyan-owned process supported by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). Together with the other three Structured Dialogue tracks—security, economy, and national reconciliation and human rights—the group will also work to identify mechanisms to support the implementation of the recommendations.
The issues the Track will discuss address key issues of public concern identified through an UNSMIL survey of more than 1,000 Libyans, and extensive in-person and online consultations with political actors and parties, civil society organisations, women, youth, and other stakeholders. The survey results highlighted the need for a unified, legitimate governance framework, with defined mandate and timeframe, for any authority overseeing elections (64 per cent). Some 54 per cent of respondents also identified decentralisation and local governance as a priority topic for the Structured Dialogue.
“The Governance Track is examining some of the most sensitive and consequential issues facing Libya,” said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General Hanna Tetteh, who co-facilitated two sessions alongside a three-person bureau elected by Governance Track members. “Over the coming few months, the task will be to translate these discussions into practical, consensus-based recommendations that can guide the country toward durable governance and a stable political future.”
This week, the Track also launched discussions on the political agreement needed to pave the way to elections, including ways for the country to finalise an electoral framework and reconstitute the Board of Commissioners of the High National Elections Commission, which are foundational steps in the UNSMIL-facilitated political roadmap announced to the Security Council in August 2025.
“In light of the political deadlock the country is experiencing and the fragmentation of institutions, the Structured Dialogue represents a way to help overcome the impasse and emerge with a clear vision to move the country forward,” said Ali Mohammed Omar, a member of the Structured Dialogue Governance Track and Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Sebha. “We have divided the process into discussions on the imminent phase and others on the medium term. We are currently working on discussing the electoral laws, which contain real problems despite the efforts of the two councils.”
Another idea the Track preliminarily discussed —supported by 40 percent of the Libyans UNSMIL surveyed—was creating a code of conduct on elections to be signed by all parties.
Past experiences have demonstrated the need for this to ensure that all parties genuinely accept the elections and their results, said Structured Dialogue Member Adel Askar, a faculty member at Nalut University.
“To reach a consensus among all parties, it is necessary to study the causes of the disagreement and diagnose them in depth in order to find practical, realistic, and applicable solutions,” he said. “The Structured Dialogue supports UNSMIL mediation efforts by proposing Libyan recommendations that the Mission might have overlooked.”
Key to the Structured Dialogue process is the diversity of Libyan voices included in the Structured Dialogue, which includes representatives from municipalities, political parties, security actors, universities, technical institutions, women’s and youth groups, and civil society organisations, including human rights and victims’ groups, and persons with disabilitie s.
“The electoral laws must comply with international standards for the rights of persons with disabilities,” said Laila Al-Awjali, a Governance Track member from Benghazi. “Libya cannot achieve stability without ensuring the inclusion of everyone, including persons with disabilities.”
The Governance Track’s work aligns with UNSMIL’s mandate to use its good offices to facilitate an inclusive, Libyan-owned and led political process, without determining outcomes, and to advance consensus on governance arrangements toward elections and long-term stability. It will continue its work online and meet again from 1 to 5 February. In the meantime, the Security and Economy Tracks will meet in person from 18 to 22 January, and the National Reconciliation and Human Rights Track will meet from 25 to 29 January.
The Structured Dialogue is not a decision-making body for the selection of a new government, but rather will explore concrete recommendations to create a conducive environment for elections and address more immediate governance, economic, and security challenges to strengthen state institutions. By examining and developing policy and legislative proposals to address long-term conflict drivers, the work of the Structured Dialogue will aim to build consensus on a national vision that will shape the path to stability.
