Mr. President, Excellencies   

At the outset, I would like to thank Council members for the press statement issued on 3 September welcoming my last briefing where I presented the UNSMIL-facilitated political roadmap which aims to unify state institutions, preserve and strengthen the unity of the country, as well as renew their legitimacy through presidential and legislative elections. Your statement sends an important message for the democratic aspirations of the Libyan people.

I would like to update you on progress of the roadmap. You will recall that the first milestone of the roadmap is the reconstitution of the full Board of Commissioners of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC), through the joint appointment by the House of Representatives (HoR) and the High Council of State (HCS) of vacant positions, in line with the provisions of the Libyan Political Agreement. In parallel, the amendment of the constitutional and electoral legal framework, based on considerations of the Advisory Committee’s recommendations, was also to be completed by the same bodies. As I mentioned in my last briefing to this Council, both steps could be concluded within the two-month timeframe, if there was the political will to do so by the parties.

Since the last briefing my colleagues and I have engaged with various national actors and international stakeholders including representatives of the HCS and HoR, on the political process, and welcome the positive commitments by various leaders and the Libyan public in support of the roadmap.  

Furthermore, the HCS formed a Roadmap Committee to review the Advisory Committee report as well as the roadmap as well as the totality of the Roadmap, and have taken a position on the issues to be addressed by the two chambers. They have also met with the HoR Sovereign Positions Committee twice: on 27 September in Benghazi and on 4 October in Tripoli. The two committees agreed to reconstitute the HNEC Board of Commissioners within 10 days, on the understanding that other sovereign positions – which are outside the scope of the roadmap – would also be considered simultaneously.  Differences have emerged, however, on the overall approach, including whether to change all seven positions of the Electoral Commission or to fill the vacant posts in line with our recommendations reflecting international best practices.  As of today, unfortunately the two institutions have yet to achieve this objective. They have not yet discussed jointly the constitutional and legal framework for elections. Achieving political consensus on these matters will be challenging, but members of this Council will no doubt be aware that has been the Libyan pattern for a while now.

Mr. President, Excellencies,

That notwithstanding, Libya cannot afford continued delays or disruptions in the completion of the roadmap.  I call again on all Libyan leaders to engage constructively in their efforts to ensure that the first steps in the roadmap are completed within the next month, to allow for the preparations towards elections. I strongly urge the representatives of the HoR and HCS to expedite their work and shoulder their responsibility in completing these two initial milestones of the roadmap.

With the view to gaining the necessary political momentum I would like to  inform this Council that UNSMIL is engaging with the HoR and HCS members and leaderships to conclude an agreement on the HNEC and an implementable electoral framework. Failing this, UNSMIL must - and will - pursue another approach and seek the support of this Council to help ensure that the roadmap advances, in order to address the multiple challenges facing Libya.

Mr. President, Excellencies,

As part of the political roadmap, and in parallel to the HoR – HCS track, UNSMIL is steadily advancing its preparations for the Structured Dialogue, a platform through which broader segments of Libyan society can participate and contribute to shaping key elements of an inclusive political process. We plan on convening the Structured Dialogue in November both in plenary sessions and in four thematic dialogue groups: governance, economy, security and national reconciliation and human rights. While the process that led to the Libyan Political Agreement and the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum did cover a number of issues within these contexts, the subsequent lack of implementation of a number of the provisions in these agreements have created the bottlenecks that have prevented an effective process of democratic consolidation and without addressing the most pertinent issues outstanding together with new challenges that have emerged. It will be difficult to achieve the key objectives of the roadmap.

During this month of October, UNSMIL will be soliciting nominations from a wide range of Libyan institutions and entities. The objective is to achieve optimal inclusivity that is reflective of Libya’s social fabric, geographic, cultural and linguistic diversity combined with technical expertise drawn from Libyan state institutions and civil society to ensure a meaningful and diverse contribution to produce recommendations that will help address immediate and longer-term governance challenges. In responding to Libyan voices, the UN is committed to ensure a minimum 35 per cent representation of women. In addition, we will establish a dedicated forum – the Libyan Women Caucus – to enable women members to consult with the broader Libyan women’s constituency, exchange experience and receive technical support, as well as a dedicated platform to facilitate youth engagement.

Mr. President, Excellencies,

As we move forward in implementing successive milestones of the roadmap, international and regional unwavering support remains an important pre-requisite to achieve success. To consolidate this international support for the political roadmap, on 25 September, we convened the Political Working Group of the Berlin Process in plenary session, the first meeting after nearly a 3-year hiatus. Held at the ambassadorial-level in Tripoli, participants welcomed the roadmap and encouraged all relevant actors to engage in good faith, to achieve a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political solution facilitated by UNSMIL. Participants also underscored the importance of accountability for any obstruction, while stressing the key role of the international community to support the process. I thank these members and encourage all member states that are seeking to advance initiatives to do so in coordination with UNSMIL so as to help ensure coherence amongst the international community in support of Libya.

We note the principles articulated by President Mnefi during the General Assembly to address the Libyan political stalemate, and commend the Presidential Council for proposing initiatives to also address the country’s political crisis. These principles largely echo those in the roadmap. We intend to continue sustained engagement with all Libyan stakeholders and pursue with the implementation of the roadmap as outlined.

Mr. President, Excellencies,

As you will recall from my last briefing, the security situation in Western Libya, and especially in Tripoli, was tense.  The continuing standoff between the Government of National Unity (GNU) and the Deterrence Apparatus for Combating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DACOT) was threatening the Truce reached in May 2025 and fueling public anxiety over the risk of a military escalation in the capital.    

I am pleased to report that tensions have eased thanks to combined mediation efforts by both local and international partners and would like to commend the interventions from the Government of Türkiye in this regard.

On 4 September, UNSMIL and the other co-chairs of the Berlin Process Security Working Group discussed the situation with the Chief of General Staff and head of the Truce Committee General Haddad, and representatives of the President of the Presidential Council, and of the Security and Military Arrangements Committee. The co-chairs urged the Government of National Unity and DACOT to achieve a peaceful resolution of outstanding issues as soon as possible, while exercising calm and restraint to prevent any further incidents of violence and harm to the civilian population.

On the 13^th of September, mediation efforts by local actors and supported by the government of Türkiye, facilitated the implementation of the understanding between the concerned parties. These entailed the withdrawal of DACOT from the civilian area of the Mitiga Airport, the beginning of the withdrawal of non-Tripoli-based GNU forces from the capital, the appointments of a new head of the Judicial Police Authority and Commander of the Airport Security forces, and the handover of detainees to the Attorney General’s Office. We welcome this progress; however, the situation still remains very fragile. A stable security environment is critical both for stability and for political progress.

To sustain the truce and promote sustainable peace in the western region, UNSMIL is engaging the Presidential Council on a mechanism to advance security sector reform in the West. I urge the Presidential Council to expedite the establishment of this mechanism and move forward with this process.

Mr. President, Excellencies,

Since my last briefing, Libyans have continued to demonstrate their determination to choose their legitimate representatives through democratic means to enable a peaceful transfer of power at the municipal level. On 23^rd of August, municipal council elections were peacefully held in seven municipalities in the Zawiya area, following their earlier suspension due to an arson attack at a High National Elections Commission warehouse.

I also welcome the resumption of the municipal electoral process in an additional sixteen municipalities which had been suspended earlier in eastern and southern Libya, with polling scheduled for next Saturday. Voter registration for twelve other municipalities, including Benghazi, Janzour, Sabha, Sirte and Tajoura, is expected to commence on the 20^th of October. As I pointed out, this is indeed a very welcomed development.

Mr. President, Excellencies,

Economic and financial governance is still deeply dysfunctional, lacking a unified budget and the required mechanisms to control expenditures across Libya. Practices that thrive in environments of weak oversight such as money-laundering and diversion of subsidized fuel through smuggling networks ultimately imposes hardships on the Libyan population, in particular the most vulnerable. Corruption that benefits certain interests only serves to divert essential investments in development such as healthcare, education and employment, particularly for women and the very large youth population.

The Central Bank of Libya’s announcement of its discovery of 6.5 billion in 20 Libyan dinar notes (approximately 1.2 billion US dollars) not registered in the Central Bank branch in Benghazi, nor introduced through the Bank’s legal channels, is concerning for Libya’s financial stability.  This brings the total illicit money found this year to 10 billion dinars (approximately 1.8 billion US dollars). An illegal practice erodes confidence in the dinar and underscores the urgent need to strengthen financial integrity, accountability, and oversight.  I welcome the Central Bank’s decision to pursue all legal actions to address this. 

Against this backdrop, the launch on 24 September of the National Strategic Plan for Combating Corruption by the National Audit Bureau and the National Anti-Corruption Commission marks an important step forward. The plan acknowledges the scale and systematic nature of the problem, yet its success will ultimately depend on the political will to advance transparency, institutional independence, accountability, equitable resource management and strengthened economic governance. The UN stands ready to collectively support the plan.

Mr. President, Excellencies,

I cannot emphasise enough the detrimental impact of parallel and competing institutions. Libya now has two concurrently functioning constitutional judicial mechanisms operating in the east and west working at odds with each other. This adversely creates legal uncertainty and further erodes the credibility of State institutions.

On national reconciliation efforts, the Presidential Council with the African Union held two further preparatory meetings in Tripoli on 18 September and in Zintan on 5 October.  The United Nations also intensified efforts related to mass graves and enforced disappearances in Tarhuna, Murzuq, Misrata and Tawergha, convening victims’ groups and authorities to advance truth and reparations – steps critical to helping victims deal with the loss of loved ones.  Draft legislation on missing persons is under review by Libyan experts to ensure compliance with international standards before submission to the legislative bodies.

In a potentially positive development, UNSMIL is in the process of verifying reports that dozens of arbitrarily detained individuals held in Mitiga were transferred to facilities under the authority of the Ministry of Justice.  Many more, however, continue to remain arbitrarily detained across Libya, many in facilities run by armed groups outside state control. Much more needs to be done by authorities to address this but this is an important first step.

Mr. President, Excellencies,

You would have received the Secretary-General’s recommendations following the completion of the strategic review of UNSMIL as mandated by this Council, and notably the core recommendation to sharpen the Mission’s focus around a singular strategic objective: facilitating a credible and inclusive political process that restores national legitimacy and institutional coherence. As you have heard in my update today, we are determined to continue to work to align the Mission’s limited resources to the political process – albeit, within the limits of the financial constraints within which we – and the rest of the Organisation – are operating.

Mr. President, Excellencies,

Finally, while the current Libyan leaders and institutions have expressed their commitment to engage constructively, their actions have not sufficiently matched their words and I wish to encourage them to work with us, noting that we are ready for discussion and constructive engagement to achieve the stated objectives of the roadmap. Should our current engagement fail to reach sufficient consensus between the House of Representatives and High Council of State to move forward with the roadmap implementation, in addition to proceeding with the structure dialogue, UNSMIL will adopt an alternative approach and seek the support of this Council to advance the Libyan political transition to reach a meaningful conclusion. The Advisory Committee provided recommendations in this regard, and we stand ready to build on them to provide this Council with alternative options should the current approach reach a stalemate. From my interactions with the Libyan people, we believe they want to access their full sets of rights and development needs. The Libyan people deserve political stability and long-term peace, and UNSMIL as a mission is committed to support this.