Tunisia to Host LPDF's 1st Face-to-Face Meeting Early Nov.

Acting Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Stephanie Williams announced late Saturday that Tunisia will host the forthcoming Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) early November instead of Switzerland for logistical reasons.

In an official statement, she added, "In view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and in order to protect the health of the participants, the LPDF will be held according to a hybrid formula, through a series of virtual sessions as well as face-to-face meetings."

Moreover, Williams noted that UNSMIL will convene LPDF participants through preparatory virtual meetings, as of October, 26.

The virtual meetings will also include consultations with large segments of the Libyan society, including youth, women and municipalities, who will be requested to offer concrete recommendations to the LPDF participants.

The LPDF aims to generate consensus on a unified governance framework and arrangements that will lead to the holding of national elections in the shortest possible timeframe in order to restore Libya’s sovereignty and the democratic legitimacy of Libyan institutions.

The LPDF will be based on the progress and the consensual views emerging from the recent consultations among Libyans, including the Montreux recommendations and the understandings reached in Bouznika and Cairo, according to the statement.