Rationale
2.1 Background
Crucial humanitarian information gaps for displaced and non-displaced populations remain in Libya, as the political, economic and social landscapes are constantly evolving, and as humanitarian access to affected populations is limited. In 2019, conflict reignited in the Western region and tensions continued into 2020. While the creation of the country’s first unified government in seven years in March 2021 represented a key milestone in the peace process, presidential and parliamentary elections planned for December 2021, which were expected to be a crucial step towards the unification of the country, have been postponed indefinitely by the National Elections Commission. These recent events might bring new political fragmentation to the country resulting in an unclear strategy for moving forward.11
Building on its experience conducting Multi-Sector Needs Assessments (MSNAs) in Libya since 2016, REACH, on behalf of the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), the Inter-Sector Coordination Group (ISCG) and the Assessment Working Group (AWG) proposes that MSNAs12 be conducted in Libya on an annual basis to continually inform and update humanitarian actors’ understanding of the needs that exist in the country, while also providing trends analysis where possible. These MSNAs are conducted with strong linkages to and in coordination with the HCT and the HNO process.
After two years of carrying out data collection remotely due to movement restrictions and health measures imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 Libyan population MSNA is going back to a full in-person data collection, resulting in findings that are representative across all baladiyas and population groups in Libya. REACH designed the data collection set-up and analysis tools, and consulted with each sector active in the Libyan response to revise indicators.
Data collection will be carried out by REACH’s partner CSOs (covering 15 baladiyas) and predominantly by the MoSA (which is planned to cover in all 101 baladiyas across Libya), with the latter collaboration coordinated by OCHA.