At a glance: Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

The big picture

Click for a detailed map (PDF)

This map does not reflect a position by UNICEF on the legal status of any country or territory or the delimitation of any frontiers.

After the lifting of United Nations (UN) sanctions, Libya has made several important strides in its efforts to adopt a more open political system and free-market economy. Despite these efforts, the direction of the country's political and economic system remains, to a great extent, uncertain.

Libya has continued its strong shift towards Africa and maintains its leading role in supporting the African Union. Libya continues to provide financial support to needy African states and actively participates in conflict resolution initiatives in different regions of the continent. With support from the African countries, Libya has been elected as this year’s chair of the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva. UNICEF’s collaboration with national non-governmental organization (NGOs) has proved to be efficient when dealing with sensitive and controversial issues.

UNICEF priorities 

Combating HIV/AIDS is a top priority. In this endeavor, collaboration with local NGOs to raise the prominence of HIV/AIDS in the national development agenda is proving very successful. The sensitivity of the issue and its strong link with substance abuse problems are key challenges. According to available statistics, drugs and substance abuse are the leading cause of HIV/AIDS transmission in Libya. Accordingly, it is necessary to involve additional actors including police, judiciary, NGOs addressing drug addiction and youth organizations.

For instance, the aforementioned NGOs are quuite adept at targeting decision-makers in the public sector with intensive advocacy campaigns aimed at mobilizing resources needed for a co-ordinated national response to the HIV/AIDS problem. By working with these NGOs and training their members on prevention and protection from HIV/AIDS, UNICEF has succeded in creating a strong and well-oriented alliance. As a result, all aspects of the HIV/AIDS issue are now openly discussed, including the magnitude of the problem, its links to the drug abuse problem and the shortcomings of existing efforts aimed at combating the disease. The alarming statistics about the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and drug abuse are openly and publicly announced. More importantly, a strong message has been sent by the the country's leadership that all citizens need to take a proactive and transparent approach in dealing with HIV/AIDS.

In September 2002, the Libyan government launched a National AIDS Program for combating HIV/AIDS and entrusted it with a progressive mandate and adequate financial resources. The National Aids Program began its activities with a launch of National AIDS Week (11 to 18 December 2002) with significant participation from both public and NGO sectors including mosques, sports clubs and community gatherings. The week combined many educational and communication activities and was able to rally public support around its slogan "No to Stigma and Discrimination." The week's activities have also enjoyed an unprecedented support from high-ranking officials and national media entities. The IEC materials, which were produced during the week, reflected a great deal of openness and transparency and were widely distributed and made available to all public sectors.  In October 2002, UN agencies working in Libya established a thematic group with the assignment of lending technical assistance to the National Aids Programme. Subsequently, regular meetings were held with the Chairperson of the National AIDS Program to develop a national strategy and work-plan for the year 2003. UNICEF has played a leading role in this venture.

In the area of polio eradication, UNICEF has actively collaborated with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Government of Libya to ensure successful completion of Libya's submission to the Regional Certification Committee on Polio Eradication in February 2003. For the first time, Libya's report addressed all four surveillance criteria required for the eligibility for Certification. In addition to working with policy makers, UNICEF has worked closely with WHO and the National Expanded Programme on Immunization on developing and producing information, education and communication material that targeted different stakeholders within the acute flaccid paralysis (AFP is polio-caused paralysis) surveillance system. As many Libyans seek medical services in neighbouring counties (especially Tunisia), it has become necessary to establish a notification and follow-up system for AFP cases that end up in Tunisian clinics. With assistance from UNICEF Tunisia Office an agreement between the government and the Tunisian Health authorities on system for reporting and following-up Libyan AFP cases within Tunisian borders was reached in July 2002.