“Drafting of missing persons law moves forward in Libya,” UNSMIL says.

Tripoli 1 October 2025 (Lana) United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) announced that drafting of missing persons law moves forward during a Tripoli meeting on 17 18 September under a joint initiative of the UNSMIL and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) called “Addressing the File of Missing Persons in Libya.”

The mission said on its official page that the meeting witnessed discussions about the draft law article, where the participants agreed on the need for a unified National Commission on Missing Persons with a clear mandate to avoid duplication across existing institutions, and  enhance coordination and unification of efforts at the national level.

The participants  emphasized aligning the law with international standards on enforced disappearances, strengthening protections for families, and linking the search for the missing to transitional justice.  

The mission stated that this progress is the result of a full year of extensive consultations, which brought together representatives from the House of Representatives (HoR); Presidency Council; the High Council of State (HCS); Ministries of Justice, Interior, Defense, and Foreign Affairs; the Prime Minister’s Office; the General Authority for the Search of Missing Persons; and the National Council for Civil Liberties and Human Rights, alongside members of civil society, academia, and forensics and legal experts. 

The meeting drew on legal mapping and technical analysis prepared with UNSMIL and UNDP.

=Lana=