The current situation in Libya, represented in the continued political and institutional division, and the absence of accountability for national resources, cannot continue, the co-chairs of the UN Working Group, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya warned last Thursday.
This came in a statement issued by the co-chairs, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, to the Working Group on International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights of the International Follow-up Committee on Libya, established under the Berlin Process.
Libya has a severe governance deficit
Under the title ‘‘Unity, principled leadership, respect for human rights have become vital after the catastrophe in the East highlights a severe governance deficit’’, the statement said the Storm Daniel and the destruction and suffering it caused in Derna and its surrounding areas – against this bleak background of countless losses and suffering, it is heartening to see people and local communities from all over the country joining forces to express their solidarity and sympathy, and to help each other. During this crisis, a massive humanitarian response continues on the ground, with survivors in need of food, water, medical services, shelter, and urgent psychosocial care.
Libyans let down
The statement considered that Libyans have been let down due to the severe deficit in governance in Libya, and that they are demanding today, more than ever, unity of ranks and moral leadership that puts human rights and the dignity of the people first, indicating that a tragedy of this magnitude must be an incentive to end the political stalemate, calls for change have become heard across the country and are becoming louder.
An independent and transparent investigation required
The statement stressed that the scale of the disaster, the widespread allegations of corruption and negligence, the inability of governance, and the lack of accountability, all require an independent and transparent investigation mechanism, noting that transparency and good governance are crucial to achieving recovery and reconstruction on a rights-respecting basis.
Independently supervise reconstruction process
The co-chairs announced their support for the calls to establish an independent mechanism to supervise reconstruction in eastern Libya, and to involve representatives of the affected families in this mechanism to ensure that their needs are met and their rights are fully respected.
