Today, the 8th of March, the world celebrates International Women’s Day and focuses on the acts of courage and determination that women and girls around the world engage in to challenge entrenched patterns of discrimination and inequality in their everyday lives. This year, International Women’s Day is marked globally under the theme of “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”.
Libya has been an active member of the UN, ratifying international covenants on women’s rights, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and working hard in uniting women’s calls for their voice, agency, and participation to be supported, resourced, valued and recognized. We share the aspiration of women in Libya for inclusion, political participation, and equality by celebrating and marking International Women’s Day. We also highlight the significance of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly SDG 5 on women’s social, economic, and political empowerment as an integral part of sustainable development and note Libya as a signatory to the Paris Agreement that works towards effective climate change adaptation.
Women’s participation in decision-making positions and their inclusion in economic, political, and social life remains a concern in Libya. Libyan women have persistently demanded effective representation and a minimum quota of 30% of women in key governmental positions. To date, these remain aspirations. The current parliamentary electoral law stipulates only 16% of reserved seats for women, which has been a clear impediment to Libyan women’s struggle for inclusion and meaningful participation in decision-making positions.
Notwithstanding, we have seen a drastic increase in the number of women during the voters’ registration period last year: 44% of new registered voters and 758 candidates for the parliamentary elections were women. For the first time in the history of the region, we have two women presidential candidates, as well as a significant number of Libyan women joining political parties. These are vibrant and remarkable indicators that Libyan women are actively engaging in the political space.
It is crucial that decision-makers act on Libyan women’s calls and ensure that women’s rights, including those stipulated in the Libyan constitution, are translated into effective legislation that guarantees meaningful participation of women in the country’s political life. Women’s full and equal participation and leadership must also be included in the management of natural resources such as oil and gas in Libya to mitigate the impacts of climate change with effective and comprehensive policies.
To ensure the meaningful participation of women, the cycle of violence and intimidation against Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs), activists, journalists, and women politicians in Libya must stop. WHRDs have been subjected to arbitrary detention and other human rights violations. Using intimidation and weaponizing the judiciary to limit women’s active participation in the civic space is unacceptable. Almost 3 years have passed since the abduction of House of Representative elected member Seham Sergewa, a transgression which generated a chilling impact on the work of women activists in Libya. The UN continues to stress that silencing the voices of women in decision-making positions and as human rights activists will not be tolerated.
We will continue to endorse a perspective that is inclusive of the needs and perspective of all women and men in Libya. We commit to striving for women’s meaningful participation at all decision-making levels and ensuring full integration of their perspectives throughout the ongoing consultations with the three UN-led tracks (economic, political and military). In line with this year’s theme, the UN applauds the efforts of women in Libya at the forefront of action against climate change to create a sustainable future for all and we look forward to recognizing some of those contributions in the celebrations for Women’s Day today.
The UN family wishes all women and girls in Libya a Happy International Women’s Day.
(Contact: Salman Khalid, Chair of the UN Group Libya, Email: ksalman@unfpa.org)
