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8159th Security Council Meeting: Situation in Libya
Ending a languishing humanitarian crisis in Libya and stamping out the spectre of violence and clashes that continued to kill and injure civilians across the country hinged on strong international support for an effective Government, the Secretary‑General’s Special Representative told the Security Council today.
“The fragile and shaky status quo is not sustainable,” said Ghassan Salamé, who also heads the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). Pointing out three goals of the Mission’s work — a constitution, national reconciliation and elections — he said UNSMIL was currently reaching out to communities, cities and towns nationwide ahead of a United Nations plan to increase its presence in the North African nation. Going forward, all actions must proceed in line with the Libyan Political Agreement. The arms embargo was also of critical importance, given recent reports of illicit arms shipments and flash‑points of tension and violence across the country. Conflict prevention measures must continue and efforts must aim at tearing down the walls among Libyan political factions and untangling past local or political animosities.
“Transformative change is overdue,” he said. “Most worrying for us are the individual predatory agendas which continue to dominate at the expense of the collective good.” As the United Nations prepared to launch a humanitarian action plan later in January, he said efforts would target the most vulnerable affected by the crisis.
Sharing civil society’s perspective of dangers on the ground, Hajer Sharief, co‑founder of the non‑governmental organization Together We Build It, said the Libyan people were now witnessing forms of violence that went far beyond what the Security Council began working to prevent with the adoption of resolution 1973 (2011). Briefing the Council on the current situation and her group’s work in human security and fighting the spread of extremism, she said that despite disappointments over the lack of a follow‑up strategy after the 2011 military intervention and its consequences of spiralling insecurity, Libyans were doing their best to ensure that life went on, even now, while facing extreme violence and a lack of resources. International support was still greatly needed and must be completely redesigned to empower the Libyan people to play an active role in peacebuilding, including civil society.
The representative of Libya agreed that recent challenges had weighed heavily on the Libyan people, but progress included addressing terrorist threats and registering voters ahead of what he hoped would be free and fair elections that would unfold with international monitoring units, participation of women and youth and acceptance of results. In addition, Libya was addressing a range of concerns, from illicit arms shipments to human trafficking, as it continued to welcome international support for its efforts. There was no military solution, but only a comprehensive consensus‑based political one framed by the Political Agreement, he said.
Also briefing the Council was Irina Schoulgin Nyoni (Sweden), Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011) concerning Libya, who updated members of its work since 17 November 2017.
During the ensuing discussion, Council members voiced strong support for ongoing reconciliation efforts in line with the Political Agreement and for the United Nations Action Plan for Libya, an inclusive Libyan-owned political process under the Organization’s leadership that was presented by the Special Representative in September 2017. Delegates, including from the United Kingdom, emphasized the importance of including women and youth in forthcoming election activities. Many anticipated that a national conference, to be held in February, would pave the way for progress.
Meanwhile, many raised concerns about the spread of violence and impunity for perpetrators of human rights violations, including human trafficking. Delegates called for continued support from the international community and the Security Council, with several representatives offering suggestions on ways forward.
Among those recommendations, France’s delegate said Libya must take ownership of its oil, and Kuwait’s representative, among others, highlighted the importance of unifying the Libyan armed forces. Ethiopia’s representative said regional organizations, including the African Union, remained crucial partners in ending the Libyan crisis, and many delegates called for reinforced measures to address the humanitarian concerns.
The United States’ representative emphasized that so many of the problems faced by Libya went back to respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, with the conflict beginning when the Libyan people had rejected former President Muammar Gaddafi. After organizing a revolution to demand a more prosperous future, the Libyan people had yet to achieve that goal, she said, emphasizing that there was a window of opportunity for Council members to push for new momentum in the political process.
The Russian Federation’s delegate underlined the importance of considering ideas currently being presented by the African Union, whose grave concerns in 2011 had gone unheeded, leading to a military intervention that had destabilized the country. Now, the Political Agreement must guide further progress, including combating terrorism, rebuilding the economy and addressing the migration issue.
Also delivering statements today were representatives of the Netherlands, Bolivia, Poland, Equatorial Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Sweden, Peru, China and Kazakhstan.
The meeting began at 10:15 a.m. and ended at 12:25 p.m.
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