Madam President (Greece), Excellencies, distinguished members of the Security Council, Ambassador Taher El-Sonni, Permanent Representative of Libya,
Since my last briefing, we have seen encouraging progress on the UNSMIL-facilitated political process. Following four months of deliberations, on 30 August, the parties to the Smaller Convening signed an Agreement in Tripoli marking a break in the prolonged political and institutional deadlock.
The Agreement of the Smaller Convening has received broad support from national and international actors. I would like to thank this Council for its sustained support of UNSMIL’s approach and the signing of the Agreement, as reaffirmed in your Press Statement on 8 September. The Agreement was welcomed by the Government of National Unity, the Libyan National Army, the House of Representatives, and Vice President of the Presidential Council Mousa Al-Koni, among others. This support reflects a recognition among many Libyan actors that the prolonged institutional impasse must be addressed in order to have unified institutions that are able to effectively manage the responsibilities of governance across the state of Libya, and that progress towards holding elections is important to achieve this objective and ensure a leadership that can respond to and address Libya’s many challenges.
The Agreement provides for the reconstitution of the board of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) and for resolving long-standing contentious issues in the constitutional and legal framework that could negatively impact efforts to conduct peaceful credible and inclusive elections. But I must emphasize that this is a political agreement. Importantly, it establishes a viable pathway for legislative and presidential elections under a single unified executive authority within a period of 24 months.
Regarding the Board of HNEC, the Smaller Convening Agreement built on prior decisions of the House of Representatives and the High Council of State in relation to its Board members, while the selection of the Chair took into account factors including geographic balance with regard to the appointment of persons to head key sovereign institutions, helping to ensure broad-based representation. I commend the constructive spirit of the present and incoming board, and I am confident that a handover can be managed effectively. UNSMIL will be ready to provide support for this transition and the mission’s electoral team will continue to be available to support the new Board with technical advice.
The Agreement also provides for endorsement within a month by the House of Representatives and the High Council of State from the date of its signing. We encouraged both chambers to endorse it while noting any reservations, which could be subsequently addressed in the legislative drafting phase.
On 14 September, the House of Representatives endorsed the Agreement, building on an earlier statement of support on 31 August by 103 members. On 28 September, the Speaker of the House informed the Mission of the adoption of laws regarding adopting and amending the Agreement and the HNEC board composition. UNSMIL takes note of these laws and decisions and reiterates the position of the parties to the Smaller Convening that any steps of procedural and legal nature should respect the spirit of consensus.
For its part, the High Council of State rejected the Agreement on 5 October along with the laws and decisions communicated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, citing approaches that would bypass the constitutional, legal and consensual frameworks governing the political process or undermine the prerogatives assigned to the two institutions. Regrettably, their rejection of the Agreement continues to reflect the limited willingness of some of its members to engage constructively in this process, which has been a feature of the ongoing engagement with this chamber. That notwithstanding, several HCS members have indicated their willingness to engage on the Agreement and have requested additional time to consult amongst themselves on moving the process forward. That has been done by way of formal communication to UNSMIL. That said, I wish to re-emphasize that Libya cannot afford to allow spoilers to obstruct the process. I will provide more detail on the outcomes of this engagement, and the Mission’s proposed next steps in my next Council briefing. I will further consult the parties to the Smaller Convening in our meeting later this month, including by examining the option of proceeding to a national mechanism of broad representation as provided for in Article 5 of the Agreement and in consultation with this Council.
Madam President, Excellencies, members of Council,
The work undertaken through the Smaller Convening has created an important foundation which needs to be strengthened and built upon. However, I would like to add that it is not the only mechanism that the mission will engage to continue to advance the objectives of the UNSMIL roadmap. The electoral process cannot be isolated from wider institutional challenges which impact the holding of elections, including the fragmentation of the judiciary.
For this reason, I welcome the decision of the parties to the Smaller Convening to explore practical steps with Libyan judicial and legal experts to address the division of the judiciary, ensure its independence, provide coherent legal certainty, and safeguard the integrity of national elections.
Moving forward, UNSMIL intends to work with diverse Libyan stakeholders on other priority issues to create the conditions for the holding of elections and unifying institutions, drawing on the recommendations of the Advisory Committee, the Structured Dialogue, and through ongoing meetings and consultations with diverse groups of Libyan stakeholders.
International and regional support remains an essential condition to achieve progress. To consolidate international support for the political roadmap, I continued my engagement with regional and international partners who underscored the importance of preserving Libya's stability, strengthening its institutions and supporting a unified, Libyan-led path toward resolving outstanding political issues.
Madam President, Excellencies, members of Council,
In other institutional-related developments, on 5 October, in the presence of 102 members, the House of Representatives voted to change its internal rules of procedure including establishing a rotating 12-month term for the Presidency. On 6 October, in the presence of 111 members, the House of Representatives conducted elections for a new presidency. I congratulate Mr. Salaheen Abdul Nabi on his election as Speaker along with new members of the presidency. UNSMIL looks forward to working with the House of Representatives to advance the next steps of the UNSMIL-facilitated political roadmap and the Smaller Convening Agreement. I also express my appreciation to the outgoing Speaker, Mr. Aguila Saleh, for his leadership and engagement over his twelve-year tenure of service.
Madam President, Excellencies, members of Council,
Institutional and political fragmentation have continued to impact negatively on the economic and security situation in the country. While global oil prices should have generated a significant windfall for public revenues to benefit all, many Libyans are instead seeing their purchasing power eroded by rising food prices, a weaker dinar and inflation right now above 14 per cent, while access to essential public services remain unreliable. Food prices alone further rose by 3.8 per cent in August, with the pressure particularly acute in the West and South, where food costs increased sharply over the summer.
The fuel subsidy system in Libya illustrates how the fiscal pressures are playing out in practice: as global fuel prices rose sharply from mid-2026, particularly for diesel, the incentives to divert subsidised fuel to external markets through illicit smuggling activities increased. Between January and September 2026, fuel imports totalled 8.15 million metric tons, at a cost of USD 8.9 billion, of which between 30 and 50 per cent of these imports are estimated to be lost to smuggling, worth between USD 2.4 and 4.4 billion. The State bears a growing fiscal burden for subsidised fuel, while significant volumes are diverted effectively generating windfall profits for those involved in these illegal activities, while creating significant financial losses for the state, and severe fuel shortages for the public and key institutions. This further constrains the State’s ability to meet its financial obligations to its citizens including the payment of public-sector salaries, investing in maintenance of critical infrastructure and the provision of the basic services on which Libyans depend, while many, particularly in the South, continue to face fuel and electricity shortages.
The recent disruptions to oil infrastructure demonstrate the wider economic cost of political and security fragmentation to impact strategic national assets. Petroleum Facility Guards from Zintan blocked the Hamada-Zawiya pipeline from 15 to 20 September, followed by the Sharara-Zawiya pipeline from 21 to 26 September reportedly due to disputes over appointments from within that region. The disruptions resulted in around one million barrels of lost production, worth approximately USD 100 million, and risked affecting salary payments and electricity generation. I wish to recall that attacks against, or actions that undermine, Libya's oil and energy infrastructure may constitute grounds for the imposition of measures under relevant Security Council resolutions.
Rising living costs and persistent disparities in public-sector pay are increasingly fuelling popular discontent and social tensions. Throughout September, doctors, health workers and teachers staged strikes and protests in Tripoli and elsewhere over unpaid salary increases, employment conditions and their allowances. And on 27 September, teachers launched a nationwide strike, delaying the start of the school year for around 1.6 million public-school students across the country.
Against this backdrop, moving to the full implementation of the Unified Development Programme (UDP) to strengthen coordination over public expenditure and development investments across the country is now becoming increasingly more urgent.
We are also concerned by the reports of the suspension of several recently elected mayors by the Deputy Minister of Local Governance of the House of Representatives-appointed government following their engagement with officials in Tripoli. We welcome reports that some have been reinstated and the suspension of the remaining mayors is expected to be lifted, and we call on all parties to ensure that locally elected officials can carry out their duties and serve their communities without interference.
Madam President, Excellencies, members of Council,
The overall security situation remains fragile. I welcome positive steps toward enhanced military cooperation between Eastern and Western military and security institutions, and the Mission continues to encourage confidence-building measures at the technical level between both sides.
Following the meeting of the two Chiefs of General Staff, General Salaheddine Al-Namroush and General Khalid Haftar, facilitated by UNSMIL in Sirte on 12 July, the Eastern and Western maritime, air force and air defense commanders held a follow-up meeting in Sirte on 9 September to discuss practical cooperation towards reunifying these sectors. Moreover, the two Chiefs of General Staff recently issued decrees to operationalize in Benghazi and Tripoli the Joint Centers for Information Exchange and Coordination on Border Security. These centers are jointly staffed by military and police personnel from the Libyan National Army and the Government of National Unity and will work on communication and information sharing between Benghazi and Tripoli regarding border and security related matters. A further training for the Joint Technical Coordination Team on Border Security took place to finalize arrangements for operationalizing the centers, and recommended the conduct of joint border security field missions.
UNSMIL would also like to commend the work of the Western Coast Security Arrangements Committee in de-escalating tensions, reducing clashes and security incidents, and enhancing security coordination in Zawiya and other western cities.
The situation in southern Libya also warrants continued attention. Strengthening state presence, improving border management, as well as addressing local grievances related to access to services, can contribute positively to stability in these areas. We note that there are discrepancies between the North and South of the country regarding the provision of public services that are exacerbating discontent and instability within the southern region.
Madam President, Excellencies, members of Council,
Over the last two months, 58 individuals convicted of prior crimes related to terrorism offences, including alleged membership in proscribed terrorist groups and/or involvement in the killing of military and civilian personnel, have been executed in Benghazi. I reiterate the points raised in our 16 September statement from UNSMIL, calling on the suspension of further executions, urging the authorities to review procedures, and ensuring full adherence to fair trials and due process. On the basis that criminal penalties remain a decision of the State and must conform to international human rights obligations, UNSMIL has engaged extensively with relevant authorities on this issue. I take note of the decision by eastern authorities to facilitate Mission access to death penalty case files and to support visits to detention facilities. We remain committed to work together to support full compliance with Libya’s human rights obligations, strengthen the administration of justice, and protect the right to life and fair trial guarantees.
Madam President, Excellencies, members of Council,
I could not end without referencing the wave of misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and incitement targeting refugees, migrants, including those with an irregular status, humanitarian actors and UN agencies and personnel in Libya, including our colleagues who are Libyan nationals, continues. Legitimate public concerns regarding migration must be addressed through responsible policy, dialogue and verified information, not through the spread of hate speech, intimidation or violence.
The United Nations fully respects Libya’s sovereignty and does not facilitate the permanent settlement of migrants and refugees in Libya. We welcome the Libyan authorities’ engagement following recent security incidents against migrants and UN facilities and urge more concerted efforts to address misinformation and incitement against migrants, ensure their safety and that of humanitarian and UN personnel and premises, and prevent further intimidation or violence.
Libya’s obligations towards refugees are not diminished by the fact that it is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention. Libya remains bound by its international human rights obligations, including the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, and the 1969 Organization of African Unity Refugee Convention. While Libya has the sovereign authority to manage its borders and migration, it must do so in line with its international obligations, including protection from arbitrary detention, torture, other ill-treatment, and refoulement.
Madam President, Excellencies, members of Council,
In closing, the Smaller Convening Agreement and the political progress made in recent months are important milestones. This demonstrates that constructive engagement can yield results. Yet, as I have described today, significant challenges remain. These challenges are amplified by the continued rejection by some parties to engage constructively and by the use of inflammatory rhetoric and disinformation which risk hardening political positions, eroding willingness to compromise, and seeking to justify unilateral actions that would undermine the political process or, in worst case scenario, lead to violence.
The goal now is to address the other critical priorities needed to create the conditions for the holding of national elections in a relatively peaceful environment and to unify institutions through the work of the Smaller Convening and broader inclusivity of other processes for engaging with Libyan stakeholders. We acknowledge the need to ensure greater inclusivity going forward, and will reflect that in any other processes developed to advance the political conditions to unify and strengthen institutions and support the holding of peaceful and credible national elections.
The role of the Security Council and the broader international community remains critical not only to encourage continued progress but to provide assurances to the parties that their efforts will be supported with positive incentives and guarantees as they take critical steps forward to overcome political divisions. Importantly, we believe the Council should hold spoilers accountable. I appeal to this Council to urge all parties to move forward quickly given the political, economic and security fragility of the situation in Libya and its impact on the overall stability of the region.
The path to a stable, unified, and prosperous Libya remains long, but our destination remains within reach. I urge all concerned actors to demonstrate the flexibility and political will needed to reach common ground. I also seek the Security Council’s continued support to the UNSMIL-facilitated political roadmap and to ensure Libyan leaders promptly meet their obligations to fulfil theirpeople’s ultimate aspirations for peace, stability, inclusive and democratic governance that they so deserve.
Thank you.