Video message from the SRSG to the Libyan people on the announcement of Libya’s Political Roadmap – 21 August 2025

Based on the Advisory Committee’s recommendations, the feedback from the Libyan people, as well as lessons learned from the failure of previous efforts of UNSMIL to hold elections in 2021, UNSMIL is convinced that the political process should focus on guaranteeing general elections and the unification of institutions through a sequenced approach.

UNSMIL’s roadmap is built around three core pillars, as detailed by SRSG Tetteh in her remarks to the Security Council on 21 August 2025:

(1) the implementation of a technically sound and politically viable electoral framework aimed at holding Presidential and Legislative elections;

(2) unifying institutions through a new unified government; and

(3), a structured dialogue that enables broad participation of Libyans to address the critical issues that need to be tackled in order to create a conducive environment for elections, shaping a shared vision and addressing long term drivers of conflict while underpinning short term efforts to unify institutions and enhance governance in key sectors.

SRSG Tetteh stressed this plan will be implemented gradually and as a package. The focus should be on a sequential process with milestones- where each step facilitates the successful implementation of the next step of the roadmap towards the organization of national elections. The mission believes that an overall timeframe of 12-18 months will be required for the successful completion of the roadmap, which will end in national elections. Hence, the following sequential steps: 

A. First, enhancing the capacity of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) by re-constituting its board of directors to fill existing vacancies and ensuring its financial independence to organize elections. 

B. In parallel, amending the legal and constitutional frameworks for holding legislative and presidential elections in order to address key issues that would facilitate the holding of both elections and addressing issues that contributed to the electoral failure in 2021.

C. Following these two prior steps which could be concluded over the next two months at most, if there were the political will to do so, there should be agreement on a new unified government, capable of creating a conducive environment for credible elections while managing key governance functions effectively.

D. This will be accompanied by the implementation of critical actions to support the operational readiness of HNEC, and address key issues around security, governance, economic management and reconciliation to facilitate the conduct of elections, and will enable tracking progress of the parties and institutions, including HNEC and security institutions.

E. In parallel, UNSMIL will convene a structured dialogue, to engage not just  political and security actors, but the Libyan people through the inclusion of civil society, academia, cultural components, women, youth and persons with disabilities as well of course as representatives from governance institutions to explore concrete solutions to ongoing governance challenges, issues that may hinder the electoral process and to lay the foundation for a national vision that will shape the path to long term stability.  This dialogue will produce recommendations to shape immediately policy changes on security sector, economic reforms, reconciliation and feed into the constitutional process on governance issues, which Libyans have identified through our continued engagement as critical and long overdue to address. 

F. Moreover, safeguards will be built into the roadmap so that if parties are delaying progress, alternatives can be pursued. As with municipal elections, there is always the risk that status quo actors may seize any opportunity to delay or derail the realization of the Libyan people’s democratic rights. Therefore, at any stage of the process, if there is obstruction by any parties, UNSMIL can and will take any necessary measures and seek the support of the Security Council to ensure that the process we want to embark on now can bring an end to successive transitions.

▶️ Watch SRSG Tetteh remarks to the Security Council on 21 August 2025