Acting UN Representative virtually meets with 1000 Libyans

The meeting was carried through an AI-powered chat to engage participants from all regions of Libya, with a small number participating from abroad.

Representative Williams welcomed the high level of engagement and interaction by participants as they answered questions on the political, security, and economic situation in the country.

While many participants feared obstruction from what they described as the “status quo” party, over 70%agreed that the results of the Advisory Committee meeting were positive and hoped they would lead to a lasting peaceful and democratic solution.

69% of those who joined the digital conversation agreed that a “unified interim executive authority in the run-up to elections is needed.”, while an even larger 76% of all participants were in favour of conducting national elections on 24 December 2021.

The majority of the participants who joined the conversation from Libya and abroad unanimously called for an end to years of division and political fragmentation.

All participants expressed their support for the ceasefire agreement signed on 23 October 2020 and the majority called for mercenaries and foreign fighters to depart. They also called for a stronger UN role in ending foreign interference in the country.

A primary concern for many participants was the continuously deteriorating economic situation in the country with 46% voicing their concern for the state of the country’s economy which has worsened compared to the previous year, with prices for basic goods and services increasing.

The long-awaited official unification of the exchange by the Central Bank of Libya was welcomed and praised by most participants as they called for more efforts to improve the overall economic situation in the nation.

ASRSG Stephanie Williams expressed her deepest appreciation for the candid responses and recommendations she received during the digital dialogue, pledged to take them into consideration and to use them to inform all the UN-facilitated dialogue tracks.