TRIPOLI – Fifteen young men and women from across Libya participated in training to strengthen their understanding of the Structured Dialogue and media ethics. The sessions, delivered under the United Nation Support Mission in Libya’s media development programme, Basirah, are the first of a series that are planned over the next two months as part of a new initiative to support youth social media content creators to raise awareness about the Libyan political process.
The 15 youth were chosen from 300 applicants to join a youth volunteer communications team that will create social media content about the Structured Dialogue and surrounding issues related to governance, the economy, security, and national reconciliation and human rights.
The volunteers will tailor their content to resonate with other young men and women, who, are less informed about the political roadmap, including the Structured Dialogue, than the general population, according to results of a recent randomized telephone survey of 1500 people conducted by UNSMIL. Their content will be shared on the Digital Youth Platform the Mission created, which has more than 3,200 members from across the country. It is intended to start conversations with Libyan youth and amplify their voices by encouraging them to share their ideas about the country’s future.
The Basirah training supports their development as content creators by strengthening their knowledge in interviewing; strategic communications; combatting misinformation, disinformation and hate speech—among other things.
"What always matters to content creators is having a positive impact on their communities," said one female volunteer from Benghazi. She described the volunteer role as an opportune moment to achieve that.
Another female volunteer from Sirte said she aims to build a strong female identity through her content, whether through legal advice, lifestyle tips, or daily social interactions. "It's important for women to be aware of their rights and participate in public life,” she emphasized.
During the media ethics session, participants stressed the need for credibility and accuracy in creating content to ensure public trust.
"Content creators must be close to the reality of their people and their community," said one male youth volunteer from Tripoli.
Another youth from Misratah added: "Influential content is honest and expresses the content creator's personal opinion to spread awareness and empowerment, utilising all available creative and artistic means."
A female volunteer from Sebha supported this view, saying, "Influencers whose content is spontaneous and simple are closer to the people."
Participants, who completed this training on 25 and 26 March, noted that some social media content creators may engage in practices that create or disseminate hate speech or misinformation for financial and material gains, and sometimes out of ignorance. They emphasised that influencers play a significant role in building public trust to mitigate the impact of anonymous, unaffiliated pages on social media platforms that promote division, incite discord, and fuel conflict.
Select volunteers will be able to observe some of the Structured Dialogue sessions, interview Structured Dialogue members and UNSMIL senior leadership, as well as engage with officials to build their knowledge of the themes the Structured Dialogue is discussing. They will be supported to hold community discussions and engage more broadly in their communities.
The Structured Dialogue, which is part of the political roadmap UNSMIL presented to the Security Council in August, is expected to make concrete recommendations to help create a conducive environment for national elections and unify and strengthen state institutions, by examining short- and long-term governance, economy, security, and human rights and reconciliation issues and proposing specific reforms. Its work will lay the foundation for a national vision that will shape the path to long-term stability.
The work of the Structured Dialogue 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.
