October 25, 2020
Memorandum Regarding UNSMIL’s Announcement of its List of Invited Participants for the “Libyan Political Dialogue Forum”
On October 23, 2020, Ihya Libya (Reviving Libya) advised the United Nations (UN) that “the keys to success in the upcoming Political Track meetings are as follows:
1- Total and urgent transparency and disclosure of the composition and mechanisms of the Libyan Political Dialogue.
2- Absolute commitment to a firm date for urgent Presidential and Parliamentarian Elections, internationally-supported and monitored.
3- Total inclusivity of the entire Libyan social fabric.
4- Respect of the demographic realities of Libya, and of regional historical heritage.
5- Rejection of the rewarding of all forms of bullying, domination, and corruption by any individual, group, tribe, or town.
6- Protection of the participation of women, youth, and minority groups.
7- Upholding professional standards and due-processes for all appointments.”
After prolonged anticipation, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) published its list of invited participants to take part in the “Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF)”, which disappointed many Libyans.
While asserting our profound respect for several distinguished figures on the said list, Ihya Libya (Reviving Libya) records its reservation to the list as a whole and believes UNSMIL should withdraw and amend it urgently before the start of the LPDF sessions for the following reasons:
1- With regard to total and urgent transparency and disclosure of the composition and mechanisms of the Libyan Political Dialogue:
The disclosure was too late, a few days before the kickoff of the dialogue. It included only the list without addressing the selection criteria, the modus operandi, and the committee powers and term.
2- With regard to absolute commitment to a firm date for urgent Presidential and Parliamentarian Elections, internationally-supported and monitored:
UNSMIL has not confirmed such commitment. It rather granted the committee broad powers that render it a new, unelected parliament, appointed by an external party that does not enjoy any electoral or domestic legitimacy, and does not adhere to a clear, binding, and non-amendable schedule.
3- With regard to the total inclusivity of the entire Libyan social fabric:
The list deeply lacks this inclusivity. It does not include important segments of the Libyan people, especially from Fezzan, Cyrenaica, the central region, and even from Tripoli, the capital itself. Most political blocs and parties are also absent, with the exception of one party that was given several seats.
4- With regard to respect of the demographic realities of Libya, and of regional historical heritage:
The list disregards the simplest Libyan demographic facts as reflected in allocating a seat or two to social segments estimated in the hundreds of thousands while giving dozens of seats to other social segments tens of times smaller. We also find a disregard for the idiosyncrasies of Cyrenaica and Fezzan, and even parts of Tripoli, and an absence of the balance between the Libyan historical regions.
5- Regarding the rejection of the rewarding of all forms of bullying, domination, and corruption by any individual, group, tribe, or town:
Unfortunately, the list rewards some terrorism-supporting figures who back its leaders in the Derna Shura Council, the Benghazi Shura Council, and other terrorist groups that have shed the blood of the Libyans. It also rewards those groups and cities that considered themselves “victorious” over other Libyan groups and cities by the force of arms and unjust control. The list allocates them many times the number of seats compared to those of other groups and cities.
6- Regarding the Protection of the participation of women, youth, and minority groups:
We note that the participation of women and youth is merely symbolic and does not represent their true proportions in Libyan society. As for the other groups, the percentages vary and do not represent their true proportions in Libyan society. The selection of the invited participants did not consider the extent of their acceptance and representation of their social councils.
7- Regarding upholding professional standards and due-processes for all appointments:
The UNSMIL disclosed neither the criteria nor the procedures it adopted in selecting the names on the list. In fact, some of the few steps it has officially disclosed involve a clear contradiction. UNSMIL has pledged that the committee members shall not assume any positions that may emanate from it for fear of “conflict of interest”. However, the list announced includes some of the figures who participated in the “founding committee” that preceded the formation of the committee though this involves a flagrant conflict of interest.
For all of the above, and because of this committee’s paramount importance and direct and fateful impact on the state of Libya and its future, Ihya Libya (Reviving Libya) demands the review of the list as a whole while reiterating its with full respect and appreciation for those great names mentioned therein and for the UN and its esteemed mission.
