UN to postpone National Conference for Libya

On 31 January, a report from Arab News based on a Reuters news report indicated that the UN is likely to delay the organisation of the National Conference for Libya. The conference is a key tool of the UN’s roadmap for Libya as it aims at gathering Libyan factions to reach a consensus on Libyan issues prior to holding elections. Initially, the UN had planned for the conference to held in the first weeks of 2019, and elections in June 2019. Sources suggest that the UN will delay the organisation of the national meeting until there is more support within Libya for the event. However, the delay in the organisation of the National conference will cause delays in the organisation of actual elections in Libya as well. As a consequence, it is likely to aggravate the climate of critics and scepticism towards the UN in Libya. Over the past days, numerous voices rose to criticize the UN Special Mission to Libya (UNSMIL) and the UN Special Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salamé, who is blamed for failing to meet expectations since his appointment in 2017.Click here to read the report.