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2. Rationale

2.1.Rationale

Since 2011, Libya has experienced several waves of conflict, renewing in 2014 and with episodic escalation across different regions to date. In 2017, this protracted conflict affected an estimated 1.62 million people across Libya. Out of this 1.62 million, OCHA’s 2017 Humanitarian Needs Overview identified 1.1 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, of which 170K were IDPs, 200K returnees and 376K non-displaced population groups. The humanitarian crisis in Libya has been defined by “pockets of acute needs prompted by outbreaks of violence”3 , whereby shifting territorial control between state and non-state armed groups has been coupled with a deepening economic and liquidity crisis and large-scalepopulation movements. As the conflict stabilises, over 278K people have returned to their homes with the most urgent need identified as access to health services, access to education and inhabiting an area with adequate security. However, the human rights situation and the lack of durable solutions to the political process prevents many IDPs from returning back to areas of origin due to fear of being subjected to human rights violations by groups which are present in their areas.
Identified in previous rounds of MSNAs, in the key humanitarian documents such as OCHA’s HNO, and displacement key products such as IOM DTM reports, the most pressing humanitarian issues for people in need focus on three sectors: health, protection and access to cash and livelihoods; although other cross-cutting issues also affect people in need throughout all sectors assessed, mainly through sudden crises and displacement; but also lack of cash and livelihoods impacting access to basic services and items for vulnerable populations to meet their needs. Crucial information gaps also remain as the political, economic, and social landscapes are constantly evolving, urging the need for an update in multi-sector needs assessment and the importance of further informing humanitarian programming and strategic planning.
Building on its experience conducting Multi-Sector Needs Assessments in Libya, REACH proposes to continue providing updates to the MSNA – ensuring strong linkage and constant coordination with the HCT and the HNO process, providing trends analysis over time and periodic updates on key sectorial needs and priorities, on the one hand continuing to gather data at qualitative level through an already existing network of local partners and organisations; and on the other hand providing quantitative and generalisable data at the district level through household surveys to timely inform humanitarian needs and vulnerabilities.