Libya

In Libya, we work side by side with Libyan peacebuilders across the country to foster local, regional, and national peace initiatives.

Overview of our work in Libya

We have worked in Libya since 2013, supporting peacebuilding and local development initiatives in more than 40 communities across the country’s three regions.
The aftermath of the Arab Spring has led to the re-emergence of numerous historical conflicts, resulting in heightened tensions within and between Libyan communities. The prevailing political divisions and the existence of multiple governments have further exacerbated these challenges, underscoring the critical importance of peacebuilding efforts.

PCi works side by side with Libyan peacebuilders to foster local, regional, and national peace initiatives. We focus on supporting our partners with practical tools and knowledge for peacebuilding so they can effectively intervene in resolving community conflicts and make local governance structures more inclusive of women, young people, and marginalised groups. Additionally, PCi advises humanitarian and development actors working in Libya on how to deliver projects in a conflict sensitive way. 

Context overview

Libya is characterised by political violence, polarisation, and instability. Since the 2011 revolution, rival authorities have been fighting over power, resulting in a constant division. The two contested governments in the east and west are a prominent example of the ongoing division. Armed groups also have significant influence, often aligning with politicians and forming alliances with other armed groups, exacerbating instability.  

Furthermore, regional and international actors have been involved since Muammar Gaddafi’s overthrow, supporting and funding factions, adding complexity to the situation. The ongoing power struggle has led to dire consequences, including humanitarian crises, forced displacement, and impeded prospects for sustainable peace and development. 

Highlights of our work in the country

Bridging divides through Regional Social Peace hubs

As part of our Social Peace and Local Development project, PCi has been supporting the growth of local Social Peace Partnerships in Libyan municipalities. The partnerships comprise activists, academics and members from various government institutions who come together to address challenges in their areas. Many of the Social Peace Partnerships have been operating since the start of the project in 2013, and the success of this model has led to the creation of partnerships in new cities and towns year on year. We currently work in 45 municipalities. 

To promote peer-to-peer suapport and cooperation between these Social Peace Partnerships, PCi launched a project to create Regional Social Peace hubs. These hubs are built on knowledge-sharing and collaboration, in order to increase the impact and effectiveness of each partnership. The Hubs have demonstrated capacity to solve shared problems through regional approaches that build relationships between towns and between the towns and National authorities.

The Baladiyati project aimed to support local municipalities in Libya to respond to multiple conflict and human mobility-induced challenges and to strengthen the local resilience and recovery mechanisms that negatively impact people’s access to essential services, sustainable livelihoods, social cohesion, and community security.  

To achieve this, PCi is supporting efforts to strengthen the skills of municipalities to deliver key local services in a conflict sensitive and gender responsive way. The project contributed to strengthening the capacity of 20 selected municipalities in Libya to provide basic services in a conflict and gender sensitive way by delivering targeted trainings that enhance the skills of municipality staff to perform their duties. 

This project aims to contribute to maintaining – and, where possible, expanding – a safe, open, and diverse civic space in Libya, which is critical for a democratic, inclusive, and peaceful political transition. Through this project, we also aim to promote women and young people’s leadership, as well as the inclusion of marginalized groups in Libya’s civic space. 

PCi is providing technical and funding support to strengthen the skills of 27 civil society organisations across nine municipalities in Libya. In each municipality, PCi is supporting three CSOs, each with distinct mandates, including a focus on gender issues. With this support, they will be better placed to navigate the challenges and risks associated with the political transition, while also working towards strengthening their sustainability in Libya’s growing civic space. 

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