UNSMIL calls for inclusion of women in Libya's decision-making process
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - A roundtable organized by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has called for women to be more involved in the economic decision-making process in Libya to accelerate economic progress and empowerment.
Twenty women from the civil society sector took part in a videoconference webinar to mark this year's International Women's Day, which included speeches by Libyan economist Hala Bugaighis of the Jusoor Foundation, and representatives of the Jusoor Foundation, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), according to a statement issued on Sunday by UNSMIN.
During the roundtable, Sonja Sigmond, Political Affairs Officer at the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), was quoted by the same source as stressing that systematic discrimination against women and inequality of opportunity, in addition to limited access to resources for individuals, not only hampered the realization of their potential, but also "hinder the overall prosperity of Libyan society and its capacity for resilience".
While World Bank statistics classify Libya as a middle- and upper-income country, years of conflict, political instability, the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters have caused the country's GDP to fall by 54% between 2010 and 2024, the statement said.
"Unfortunately, unequal access to Libya's wealth, lack of transparency and accountability in its management, and limited socio-economic opportunities, particularly for Libyan women and youth, continue to be powerful drivers of political instability and insecurity in Libya", according to the UN official.
Ms Bugaighis pointed out that "there are no women at the highest levels of decision-making within the Ministry of the Economy", adding that "the Minister has only one adviser".
"The same applies to the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank and the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
"The decision-making process emerges from a patriarchal point of view, so that half the population, i.e. women, are faced with decisions that they did not take or in which they did not participate," said Bugaighis.
She stressed the need to "take women's points of view into account".
One of the consequences of this situation is the adoption of inappropriate policies to meet the challenges faced by Libyan women on the ground, said Ms. Bugaighis.
"The Libyan legal framework, at least in theory, gives women the right to equality and non-discrimination," pointed out Ms Bugaighis, adding, however, that "there is no clear mechanism for career advancement and access to justice, particularly in cases of discrimination and inequality".
Libyan law, for example, stipulates that men and women must be paid the same for the same work. It also guarantees women the right to own property, allows them to open bank accounts and protects them from losing their right to inheritance, according to the document.
In practice, however, Libyan women earn almost three times less than their male counterparts and represent only 12% of landowners.
While unemployment remains high across all demographic groups in Libya, women are almost twice as likely to be unemployed, despite the fact that the percentage of women looking for work is higher than that of men.
UNDP Gender Advisor in Libya, Khadija Al-Buaichi, said that increasing the proportion of women in decision-making positions was essential to meeting these challenges.
"We all know that the presence of women at these levels is very important, because it ensures that women's perspectives, priorities and challenges are integrated into an integrated vision," she added.
She also pointed out that the United Nations, for its part, is aligning its work in Libya with the strategy to ensure equality between men and women, noting that 15% of spending by the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme is focused on promoting and supporting women.
The UNDP intends to increase the participation of women in the technology sector through the learning of computer programming skills and the financing of small businesses run by women. among other things, revealed the UN official.
"Whatever the purpose of the project, whether it's a development project, an energy project or a project to build the capacity of rule of law institutions, we need to identify what needs to be done, are the challenges facing women," said the adviser.
This is in line with the call made by the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative, Abdoulaye Bathily, on the occasion of International Women's Day, to "empower women to play their inherent role as drivers of change in Libya", the statement said.
In the same statement, the Special Representative stressed that Libyan women played "a crucial role in shaping and developing the political and economic landscape in Libya, as well as in their participation in the process of political, economic and national reconciliation that benefits society as a whole".
-0- PANA BY/IS/BBA/RA 14April2024
