Attachments
I. Introduction
1. The present report, submitted pursuant to Security Council resolutions 2510 (2020), 2542 (2020), 2570 (2021) and 2647 (2022), covers political, security and economic developments in Libya. It provides an overview of the human rights and humanitarian situation in the country and the activities of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) since the issuance of the previous report (S/2022/409) on 20 May 2022.
II. Political and security-related developments
2. During the reporting period, the United Nations continued to support the House of Representatives and the High State Council to reach agreement on a consensual constitutional framework for national elections. Following previous rounds held in April and May, the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Libya, Stephanie Williams, and UNSMIL facilitated a third round of talks of the joint committee, comprising delegations from the House and the Council, in Cairo in June, aimed at reaching agreement on a constitutional framework for elections.
3. From 28 to 30 June, the Special Adviser convened the heads of the two chambers for a high-level meeting at the United Nations Office at Geneva to review the outcome of the Cairo talks and reach consensus on several outstanding provisions of the draft constitution of 2017. Unfortunately, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh Issa, and the President of the High State Council, Khaled Mishri, were unable to agree on one outstanding issue, namely the eligibility criteria for presidential candidates. In a statement issued at the end of the meeting, the Special Adviser urged the two chambers to overcome the pending disagreement as soon as possible and reiterated the readiness of the United Nations to provide good offices in that regard.
4. The ongoing political crisis between Abdulhamid Al Dabiba and Fathi Bashagha over the leadership of the executive branch became further entrenched. The High State Council was unable to convene owing to divisions between members supporting the Government of National Unity of Mr. Al Dabiba and those supporting Mr. Bashagha. There was an increase in clashes between armed groups supporting either party in and around Tripoli.
5. On 24 June, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America issued a joint statement urging Libyan political leaders “to unlock the executive impasse and agree on a pathway to elections”. Both Mr. Al Dabiba and Mr. Bashagha welcomed the statement, although each interpreted it as supporting his respective claim to be the legitimate leader of the executive.
6. In a sign of growing popular frustration with the political impasse, demonstrations were held in several cities across Libya on 1 July, including in Tripoli. In Tubruq, protesters forced their way into the premises of the House of Representatives and caused damage to the building. The protesters voiced their criticism of the existing political bodies and their failure to conduct elections, resolve the electricity crisis, address fuel shortages and mitigate the increasing prices of basic commodities. In a statement on 2 July, the Secretary-General called upon protesters to avoid acts of violence and upon all Libyan actors to refrain from actions that could undermine stability. He further urged Libyan leaders to overcome the political deadlock that was deepening divisions and negatively affecting the country ’s economy and stressed the need to build upon the considerable progress achieved during talks in Cairo and Geneva convened under the auspices of the United Nations.
7. On 31 July, the Special Adviser concluded her assignment. On 1 August, the Secretary-General issued a statement to thank the Special Adviser for her service and dedication, recognizing her remarkable ability to foster conditions conducive to dialogue and consensus among all stakeholders, which had led to key achievements in the political, security and economic dialogue tracks.