Attachments
Highlights
• Fighting which erupted in Tripoli in August 2018 continued into September leading to the displacement of 5,065 families (25,325 individuals). UNICEF continued its emergency response reaching over 2,000 children with child protection services;
• A measles outbreak since April 2018 has resulted in over 600 reported cases, with the number still increasing. UNICEF, WHO and the Ministry of Health are planning a nationwide Measles, Rubella, Polio vaccination and Vitamin A supplementation campaign to protect children against vaccine preventable diseases. It is scheduled to take place at the end of November 2018;
• A total of 2,895 (1,400 male and 1,495 female) vulnerable children, men and women living in Tripoli’s Internally Displaced People (IDPs) camps and detention centers were provided with increased access to basic water and sanitation services;
• UNICEF in Libya continues to face a funding gap of 29 percent in its Humanitarian Action for Children 2018. Without urgently receiving additional funds, UNICEF will not be able to meet the education, health, nutrition, water and sanitation and child protection urgent needs of the 245,000 people, including 165,000 children, who are targeted in 2018.
1.1 million # of people in need of humanitarian assistance
378,000 children in need of humanitarian assistance
268,000 children in need of safe water, sanitation and hygiene
300,000 children in need of education in emergency support
343,200 children in need of protection
193,581 Internally Displaced People
669,176 Migrants
UNICEF Appeal 2018 US$20,161,000
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
During the reporting period, the humanitarian situation in Libya has significantly deteriorated. Fighting which engulfed the Libyan capital Tripoli since August 26, ended on September 26, leaving 117 people dead and 581 injured including many children. At least 5,065 families (25,325 individuals)2 have been displaced since the start of the clashes, the majority of whom originate from conflictaffected areas in Southern Tripoli. UNICEF estimates that forty per cent of them were children3 . Although families are starting to return to Tripoli following the cessation of fighting, the security situation remains precarious with the start of the academic year delayed from October 3 to October 7 and the fact that some schools were being used to shelter displaced families.
Ongoing conflict and subsequent displacement in Libya continues to impact health services and infrastructure, disrupting access to and investment in health facilities. Vaccination programmes for children have been particularly affected. A measles outbreak has resulted in over 591 cases (September 2018), mostly among children. UNICEF is concerned that a continued lack of functioning health services will result in the spread of the disease and is working with the Ministry of Health and WHO to implement a measles vaccination campaign as well as strengthening the capacity of the public health system.
In total, 212 schools are reported to be partially damaged, 14 schools used as shelters for Internally Displaced People (IDPs) and 53 schools have been fully destroyed across Libya during the covered period. 4 Despite this, UNICEF continues to provide educational support to children through scaling-up equitable access, enhancing the quality of education services and strengthening the wider education system. In August, around 1,900 Internally Displaced People (IDPs) were evicted by force from Tariq-al Matar Camp by a local militia and 94 residents were arrested. This is considered to be the largest camp, hosting more than 370 families, originally from Tawergha city, who were living there since 2011.
For children on the move transiting through or residing in Libya, the recent escalation of violence has only added to their suffering.
Hundreds of detained refugees and migrants, including children, were forced to move from detention centers due to the clashes; others remain stranded in centres in dire conditions. Due to the conflict, the detention centres at Tariq Al Matar and Abusliem were closed on September 4 and the detention centres in Salaheddin and Ain Zara were abandoned by staff.
UNICEF continues to scale up its emergency preparedness in Libya and will invest in pre-positioning the supplies needed to respond to the rapid on-set emergencies. During the reporting period, UNICEF strengthened its internal capacity in emergency preparedness and response and plans by signing an agreement with STACO, a Libyan NGO, to preposition supplies in Tripoli in order to respond to potential rapid onset emergencies throughout the country.
Humanitarian Leadership and Coordination
As a result of the clashes in Tripoli, the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) established an Emergency Operation Group (EOG) in August 2018 to coordinate the humanitarian response among different UN and non-UN agencies. UNICEF is an active member in the EOG, coordinating humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable women and children.
UNICEF also continues to work towards strengthening coordination efforts in Libya, pushing the agenda for children bridging the gap between humanitarian and development programmes. UNICEF, together with other UN agencies, participated in the contingency planning workshop in Tunis, in August 1st and 2 nd where Libyan government representatives and local organizations joined the United Nations in analysing the situation of the country and thinking about preparedness measures to put in place in different sectors.
UNICEF received the support of a dedicated Child Protection Sector Coordinator in September 2018 and is also recruiting WASH and Education Coordinators to strengthen sector coordination capacity in anticipation of 2019 humanitarian planning processes.
With the start of humanitarian planning processes for 2019 response, UNICEF together with its partners and other UN agencies is contributing towards the development of the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) and the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) 2019.
UNICEF’s humanitarian response remains to prioritise the most vulnerable children in Libya, working closely with government, nongovernment partners and sister UN agencies to consolidate efforts for a better response.