TRIPOLI – As part of its preparations to establish the Libyan Women’s Caucus of the Structured Dialogue, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya has consulted with close to 100 women over the last month, including young women, women with disabilities, women from marginalized regions and groups, and diaspora.  

At least thirty-five percent of Dialogue members will be women, as announced by the Special Representative to the Secretary-General Hanna Tetteh to the Security Council in October. 

The Libyan Women’s Caucus, aims to support effective advocacy for the shared priorities of the broader Libyan women’s constituency. It will enable the members to consult and connect with women beyond the Structured Dialogue membership, develop joint positions, and access technical support.  

During the in-person and online consultations, the Mission facilitated, in collaboration with UN Women and the UN Development Programme, women shared their priorities and recommendations on the four thematic areas of the Structured Dialogue: governance, economy, security, national reconciliation, and human rights.  

Among other issues, the women highlighted the need to reform laws and implement previous commitments on quotas for women in legislative and executive bodies, and in security and economic institutions. They called for prioritising the work on the constitution and integrating human rights considerations across all four of the thematic areas of the Structured Dialogue. They also recommended establishing robust mechanisms to ensure the implementation of the Dialogue’s recommendations.  

“Despite incremental progress, women in Libya continue to face systemic barriers to participation in political institutions and decision-making processes,” said Special Representative of the Secretary General Hanna Tetteh, “We are committed to ensuring at least 35 per cent participation of women across all four tracks of the Structured Dialogue. But beyond numbers, we want to ensure that the priorities and recommendations of women outside the Dialogue are brought into the room—and onto the table.”  

The women also emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety of women participating in public life, including in political processes. 

The outcomes of the ongoing consultations will support the Libyan Women’s Caucus to effectively advocate for women across Libya.  

Read more about the Structured Dialogue on the Mission’s website.