The United Nations Security Council approved this Friday a new twelve-month extension for the mandate of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), with the purpose of bringing the North African country closer to holding elections within a two-year horizon. The resolution was passed with the support of thirteen members, while Russia and Greece abstained.
According to the international organization, the mission will continue carrying out its political mediation and on-the-ground facilitation work until the end of October 2027. The priority remains promoting an inclusive political process, "directed and led by the Libyans themselves," that leads to presidential and parliamentary elections considered credible by all parties.
The agreement on the text of the resolution was reached after two days of meetings held at the beginning of this week in Tunisia, under the umbrella of the UNSMIL Human Rights Division. These meetings have continued the previous discussions held in Geneva and in the Tunisian capital itself, with the participation of parliamentarians, former ministers, people responsible for the humanitarian field, and representatives of Libyan civil society.
"This commitment to move forward with the adoption of the bill represents a significant step to ensure that Libyan civil society organizations can operate safely, independently and effectively," the UN Human Rights rapporteur, Kholoud Najm, said.
The resolution also insists on "the UN security body's call for the unconditional and immediate withdrawal of all foreign forces, combatants and mercenaries deployed on Libyan territory," in line with the ceasefire agreed in August 2020.
During the session, the UN deputy special representative for Libya, Stephanie Koury, stressed that the function of UNSMIL is limited to "facilitating dialogue and providing technical assistance at the request of the parties," and urged the participants to achieve "practical results that guarantee a realistic roadmap".
After examining the articles of the legislative draft, the attendees have agreed on a specific itinerary to send the text to the Libyan Parliament and thus continue with its formal processing. In turn, the UN special rapporteur, Gina Romero, has taken on the commitment to oversee the development of the process and provide the necessary technical support so that the final version complies with international standards on freedom of association, according to what the state agency LANA has reported.
For her part, Najm has highlighted that the agreement reached represents "a significant step to ensure that Libyan civil society organizations can operate safely, independently and effectively".