Tripoli, 18 March 2019 – The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian, and the United Nations, represented by Heads of the UNDP, UNICEF and WHO in Libya, signed today an agreement for a contribution of € 876,000 by the French Government to fund the implementation of projects carried out by the three UN agencies. The projects aimed at providing support for vulnerable people and communities in need of humanitarian assistance and supporting the Libyan authorities in conducting an inclusive and successful municipal elections process.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Ghassan Salame hosted today the signing ceremony of the agreement at the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Headquarters in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

During the ceremony, Le Drian said, “There is a particular momentum in the South with a recent improvement of the security for the people. It is very important to seize this opportunity to strengthen the essential services provided to the population and to pave the way for smooth upcoming elections. Those initiatives are going to respond to the pending needs by immediate actions of WHO, UNICEF and UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Central Committee for Municipalities Councils Elections. Those activities will also support the role of civil society organizations for outreach activities. ”

“I thank the Government of France and Minister Le Drian for this contribution. I take this opportunity to once again express my appreciation for the international community’s continued support for the UN efforts in Libya. The contribution will increase the UN capacity to assist vulnerable communities and support the Libyan relevant authorities to ensure a successful electoral process,” stated SRSG Ghassan Salame.

The French contribution will fund the UNDP’s “Support the Preparation and Conduct of Municipal Council Elections Through the Central Committee for Municipal Council Elections (CCMCE)” project with  € 176,000; the UNICEF’s “Support to Life-Saving Primary Health Care, Maternal, Newborn, Child Health and Nutrition Services in Sabha, Southern Libya” project with € 300,000, while €400,000 will be allocated for the WHO’s “Improving Access of Vulnerable People to life-saving health services” project.

This contribution brings the total French contribution to United Nations programmes in Libya to 5 125 000 US$ since 2016.