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STORY: UN / LIBYA
TRT: 04:37
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 18 FEBRUARY 2026, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
18 FEBRUARY 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Tilt down, Security Council
3. Wide shot, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya Hanna Serwaa Tetteh addressing Council
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and
Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL):
“The situation in Libya is deteriorating on many fronts. Libya's judicial system, which has historically remained largely unified despite prolonged political challenges with the Supreme Court in Tripoli, including its constitutional chamber serving as the highest constitutional judicial body, is now increasingly divided, with serious implications for the country's unity. In 2023, the House of Representatives established the Supreme Constitutional Court in Benghazi, which became functional in December 2025, operating in parallel to the previously established Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court in Tripoli. There are now competing mandates, conflicting court rulings, and judicial incoherence.”
5. Wide shot, Tetteh addressing Council
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and
Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL):
“If actions are not taken to preserve the unity, coherence and independence of the judiciary, the conflicting legal systems that emerge will impact the economy. Elections, governance, security, and human rights. It is a red line that, if crossed, can undermine the unity of the State.”
7. Wide shot, Tetteh addressing Council
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and
Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL):
“Libya's economic trajectory is also in a downturn, and the Libyan people are facing significant hardships, with devaluation of the currency, increasing prices, fuel shortages, and growing discontent. This was recognised by the Prime Minister in his address yesterday. The absence of a unified national budget and uncoordinated public spending due to parallel state institutions, along with declining oil revenues, have contributed to persistent foreign currency imbalances. This is causing mounting pressure on foreign reserves and the steady decline in the value of the Libyan dinar.”
9. Wide shot, Tetteh addressing Council
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and
Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL):
“Economic conditions are deteriorating and poverty and pressure on society is increasing. This situation, in addition to the fragile security landscape, should be a matter for concern. As such, conditions can lead to unexpected political and security challenges. Hence, the need to work with Libyans through the roadmap to address the main cause of this dysfunction, which is a divided government with limited coordination, unilateral actions, including significant, uncoordinated, and uncontrolled spending.”
11. Wide shot, Libyan Ambassador Taher Al-Sunni addressing Council
12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Taher Al-Sunni, Permanent Representative of Libya to the United Nations:
“We emphasise that we fully trust our people and that Libya will restore its strength. Libyans do not lack a need or desire for democracy or peace, but they need a clear political process with determined results that reflects their free will, and that ends the transitions instead of eternalising them, and with international support that respects sovereignty and that does not protract the crisis or recycle it through negative interferences.”
13. Wide shot, end of Council session
14. Wide shot, ambassadors at the stakeout podium
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Archibald Young, Ambassador, General Assembly Affairs, United Kingdom:
“Libya faces extreme climate stresses, exacerbating fragility, climate driven water scarcity, rising temperatures and extreme floods lead to livelihood decline, fuelling conflict by intensifying resource competition and increasing displacement. As one of the world's most water stressed countries, less than two percent of Libya's land is viable for agriculture, with rainfall projected to decrease seven percent by 2050, these pressures will intensify.”
16. Wide shot, Ambassadors at the stakeout podium
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Archibald Young, Ambassador, General Assembly Affairs, United Kingdom:
“We urge Libyan actors to resume a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political process as soon as possible. The current deadlock is hindering the country's ability to anticipate, manage and respond to climate shocks. If unresolved, these divisions will heighten climate risks and create space for exploitation by armed actors. We urge the Libyan authorities to embed climate related peace and security risk-management into a unified national budget and planning system grounded in inclusive, community driven and gender responsive decision making.”
18. Wide shot, ambassadors walk away
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, today (18 Feb) told the Security Council that the situation in the country “is deteriorating on many fronts,” including its economic conditions and judicial system, highlighting the need to “work with Libyans” in the implementation of its political roadmap.
Tetteh told the Council that the Supreme Court in Tripoli, “is now increasingly divided, with serious implications for the country's unity” and noted that the Supreme Constitutional Court in Benghazi, which became functional in December, is “operating in parallel” and “there are now competing mandates, conflicting court rulings and judicial incoherence.”
She said, “if actions are not taken to preserve the unity, coherence and independence of the judiciary, the conflicting legal systems that emerge will impact the economy, elections, governance, security and human rights” and stressed that this is “a red line that, if crossed, can undermine the unity of the State.”
Libya's economic trajectory, Tetteh explained, “is also in a downturn, and the Libyan people are facing significant hardships, with devaluation of the currency, increasing prices, fuel shortages and growing discontent.”
She said, “the absence of a unified national budget and uncoordinated public spending due to parallel state institutions, along with declining oil revenues, have contributed to persistent foreign currency imbalances,” affecting foreign reserves and the value of the Libyan dinar.
To conclude, Tetteh said, “economic conditions are deteriorating and poverty and pressure on society is increasing. This situation, in addition to the fragile security landscape, should be a matter for concern. As such, conditions can lead to unexpected political and security challenges. Hence, the need to work with Libyans through the roadmap to address the main cause of this dysfunction, which is a divided government with limited coordination, unilateral actions, including significant, uncoordinated, and uncontrolled spending.”
In his address to the Council, Libyan Ambassador Taher Al-Sunni said, “Libyans do not lack a need or desire for democracy or peace, but they need a clear political process with determined results that reflects their free will, and that ends the transitions instead of eternalising them, and with international support that respects sovereignty and that does not protract the crisis or recycle it through negative interferences.”
Outside the Council before the meeting, British Ambassador Archibald Young read a statement on behalf of the Security Council signatories the Joint Pledges on Climate, Peace, and Security (CPS) – Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, Liberia, Panama, and the United Kingdom.
Young said, “Libya faces extreme climate stresses, exacerbating fragility, climate driven water scarcity, rising temperatures and extreme floods lead to livelihood decline, fuelling conflict by intensifying resource competition and increasing displacement.”
“As one of the world's most water stressed countries,” he said, “less than 2 percent of Libya's land is viable for agriculture, with rainfall projected to decrease 7 percent by 2050, these pressures will intensify.”
The signatories urged Libyan actors “to resume a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political process as soon as possible,” noting that “the current deadlock is hindering the country's ability to anticipate, manage and respond to climate shocks.”
They urged Libyan authorities “to embed climate related peace and security risk-management into a unified national budget and planning system grounded in inclusive, community driven and gender responsive decision making.”
