The Acting Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Stephanie Koury, announced launching a new political process aimed at achieving stability, preventing conflict, unifying state institutions, advancing the transition toward holding elections, and addressing key outstanding issues.
This came in a video speech delivered by Koury, eight months after assuming her position, as she began her speech by expressing concerns about the economic situation in Libya, the high cost of living, corruption, and the decline in freedoms.
Koury stressed that the fragile stability in Libya was not sustainable, and that Libyan institutions and economy were burdened by transitional arrangements and mismanagement of public funds. She stressed that the Libyan people had great resilience and were determined to build a stable and prosperous country, noting that Libyans had previously tried to reach solutions to their differences in Skhirat, Tunis, and Geneva.
Koury explained that the new political process would include the formation of a technical committee of Libyan experts to develop options for addressing controversial issues in electoral laws, ways of reaching elections in the shortest possible time, and options for a clear governance framework. She added that the committee’s mandate would also include identifying the main milestones and priorities for a new government to be formed by consensus.
The UN-proposed initiative also includes, according to Koury, launching a structured dialogue with broad participation from all segments of Libyan society to expand the scope of consensus on resolving the long-standing causes of the conflict, in addition to pushing for economic reforms, strengthening the unification of security and military institutions, and supporting national reconciliation.
Koury concluded her speech by reaffirming UN commitment to supporting the Libyan people to reach consensus on a strong future vision for their country, noting that showing good faith and a desire for compromise are essential.
