TRIPOLI, 15 December 2023 – In a workshop organized by UNSMIL, 15 youth activists from across Libya worked in groups to identify key ideas for solutions and suggestions on how the Mission could help Libyan Political Leaders find a path towards elections and end the current political stalemate.

The groups of nine young women and six young men presented their conclusions to the Special Representative of the Secretary General, Abdoulaye Bathily, in a plenary session held on Wednesday where he listened to their ideas and answered their questions.

“The Youth are critical to the future of Libya,” said the SRSG Bathily. “For a peaceful, inclusive and democratic country we need to bring the five major stakeholders together to find a compromise and restore the electoral process,” he said, adding that this would open a new door for Libya, its youth, and its future.

The workshop was one in a series of meetings which the SRSG has held with the youth, women, cultural components, civil society and political parties to listen to their views and suggestions for the possible solutions to the political stalemate.

Across four groups, the youth representatives highlighted the following potential ways forward:

Participation

• Ensuring inclusivity and participation of the youth with increased representation in the parliament and a youth quota in political meetings including with the five major stakeholders.
• Establishing a national charter to be signed by all political stakeholders which includes an agreed timeframe for the electoral process.
• Increasing the representation of women in political life and in ministerial positions.

Unifying solutions and sanctions

• Unifying the military and security institutions to secure the political process, and to ensure that they have loyalty to their country not to individuals.
• Naming of political spoilers in public and place sanctions on them.

Empowering youth

• Raising the capacity and capability of the youth and the political parties to be able raise their voices and campaign.
• Supporting intergenerational dialogue sessions between young people and wider society to build trust and understanding, and to reconcile the current societal leaders with those of the future.
• Establishing an awareness raising campaigns for the youth to enhance their role in the political process and the elections.
• Increasing the capacities and capabilities of the young people and to support the young entrepreneurs to overcome unemployment and economic issues.

“The young people of Libya should raise their voices and inform their leaders of their need for the political process to move forward and that they should settle their differences peacefully,” said SRSG Bathily.  “This is the only way the country can move forward,” he added.

The SRSG assured the participants that their ideas, suggestions and concerns along with those from other stakeholders will be relayed to the five main political stakeholders in their coming meetings.