Calls to place victims at the heart of Libya’s national reconciliation process in a joint conference of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the Presidential Council

At a conference in Tripoli dedicated to fostering “an inclusive, rights-based, and victims-centred transitional justice and reconciliation process in Libya”, UNSMIL Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Georgette Gagnon, withMr. Abdallah Al-Lafi, Vice President of the Presidential Council, Libyan and UN officials, and international experts, convened in an effort to ensure victims’ voices are central in the ongoing reconciliation process. The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights supported the two-day conference with the participation of 95 representatives of victims, victims’ families and civil society organizations from all across Libya. 

In her opening address, DSRSG Gagnon reaffirmed the United Nations’ commitment   to support the Libyan people in “promoting a rights-based reconciliation process that is inclusive, transparent and grounded in the principles of transitional justice.” She emphasized that a key objective of the forum was “to facilitate greater outreach, awareness, and support, between the Presidential Council – that is leading the national reconciliation process – and victims of human rights violations, for whom justice and reparations have remained elusive.” 

During the first day of the conference, participants discussed the proposed draft law on reconciliation elaborated by the Presidential Council’s Legal Committee including articles related to enhancing the safe, informed and meaningful participation of victims in future transitional justice mechanisms. They also discussed steps leading to the upcoming national reconciliation conference planned for April in Libya. 

“Victims and their families must be at the centre of all efforts towards reconciliation. Their calls for justice and accountability and their right to the truth must be honoured”, asserted DSRSG Gagnon. “Reconciliation cannot be achieved without justice, and justice cannot prevail without the truth, reparations, and guarantees of non-repetition.” 

The conference is expected to conclude on 27 February with a set of recommendations aimed at advancing the reconciliation process with focus on accountability, international best practices regarding amnesties, and the active involvement of victims throughout the process. These recommendations will feed into the strategy for reconciliation developed by the Presidential Council. 

Full Remarks of DSRSG G. Gagnon here. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).