Members of Libyan government to meet in Geneva to discuss civilian protection in armed conflict

On 24 and 25 November 2021,  Geneva Call will be hosting a high-level conference on concrete ways to enhance the protection of civilians – and in particular children – in the Libyan armed conflict and vis-à-vis armed actors. The event will be attended by Libyan members of government and the Libyan Inter-Ministerial Committee on International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Discussions will focus on issues related to improving compliance with IHL at the national level through the course of transition in Libya, including the role of national IHL committees and the hybrid security sector, with multiple armed actors still in the process of being consolidated and integrated as a national Libyan army.

Since 2011, Libya has been afflicted with protracted conflict among diverse armed actors and shifting struggles for power. International efforts to deescalate conflict led to the Berlin Conference in 2020 and the Berlin process to support stabilization in Libya. In March 2021, the Government of National Unity (GNU) was formed in Libya to administer elections. Nonetheless, Libya continues to face the challenge of armed actors in transition that lack awareness, training, and accountability in relation to their obligation to comply with international humanitarian norms. As a result, civilians, and in particular children, in Libya continue to face widespread protection risks and remain at risk of grave violations of humanitarian norms.