The UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Libya, Hannah Tete, warned the UNSC that Libya is at a “critical crossroads”, stressing that “we are not where we would like to be in terms of progress on the roadmap” and that maintaining the current situation “inadvertently legitimizes the status quo rather than encouraging serious negotiations”.
As he said, “some Libyan actors continue to ignore public expectations”, while the creation of “parallel structures outside the framework of existing agreements” is hampering the UNMISS mission’s efforts to achieve institutional reunification of the country.
Updating the Council on the progress of the political dialogue, he noted that the Structured Dialogue was continuing on the four main pillars – security, governance, economy and national reconciliation/human rights – with the aim of “holding national elections, strengthening state institutions and implementing critical reforms”. He said a final report with recommendations to the political leadership and the public would be presented by early June, and warned that if there was insufficient progress “I will come back to the Council in June to present a proposal to move the process forward.”
On the economic front, Tete spoke of continued deterioration, with “currency pressures, rising prices, fuel shortages, uncontrolled and opaque public spending and increasing poverty”, noting that “the current economic model is no longer sustainable”. He also stressed that “Libya’s national wealth is being absorbed into a distorted political economy that fuels runaway spending and instrumentalises oil revenues”. He hailed as a positive development the April 11 agreement on a unified public spending framework, noting however that its effectiveness will depend on “effective implementation and independent oversight of public spending.”
On security, he found that despite the absence of recorded violations of the 2020 ceasefire agreement, “the security situation remains fragile”, with clashes in the west country and continued flow of arms “in violation of the arms embargo”. He listed the joint military exercise in Sirte between eastern and western Libyan military forces as a positive element, describing it as “a building block to promote the integration of military and security institutions.”
He expressed particular concern about the ongoing fragmentation of the judiciary, noting that the existence of “two parallel Supreme Judicial Councils” exacerbates institutional instability and legal uncertainty. At the same time, he spoke of continued “reports of arbitrary detentions, intimidation and reprisals”, as well as attacks on the Sufi community, which “underscore the dangers to religious freedom and social cohesion”.
In conclusion, Tete called on the Security Council to use its collective influence to “ensure that Libyan leaders fulfil their obligations to unify institutions and promote national elections”, warning that “tolerance of the status quo actors will undermine efforts to preserve the unity and wealth of the country and delay the path to lasting peace, stability and development”.
The Permanent Representative of Greece, Ambassador Agnes Balta in her statement stressed that the UN political roadmap presented by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General remains the most viable path towards the unification of state institutions and a comprehensive and sustainable peace in Libya.
He also welcomed initiatives that encourage dialogue between the two sides, insofar as they complement and enhance UN-led efforts.
Balta took stock of recent positive developments and progress, such as the promotion of structured dialogue, agreement on a unified budget and the holding of joint military exercises through US mediation.
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He welcomed the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2819, which renews the sanctions regime against Libya and calls on member states and financial institutions to support a comprehensive audit of the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA).
“It is now essential to finalise without delay the Notification of Assistance for the Implementation of paragraph 14 of Decision 2769 – which Greece had requested – in order to provide the necessary clarity and facilitate the effective management of the Libyan Investment Authority’s funds”, Balta stressed.
Balta added that Greece, as a “long-standing partner of Libya and with full support for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of its neighbouring country, firmly supports efforts to advance the political process and to achieve a strong, stable, prosperous and united Libya, free from foreign interference and with full control of its sovereign institutions.”
