UN Mission: Agreement reached on a law granting legal protection to civil society organizations

Tripoli, October 28, 2026 (LANA) – The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) announced that Libyan lawmakers, legal experts, and human rights activists have reached a final draft of a law aimed at providing civil society organizations with greater legal protection, enabling them to operate independently and effectively.

The mission stated that this achievement was reached during a two-day discussion forum held earlier this week in Tunisia, organized by the Human Rights Division of UNSMIL.

According to the mission, participants in the forum included members of the House of Representatives, former Libyan Minister of Justice Salah al-Marghani, representatives from the National Council for Freedoms and Human Rights, the Libyan Platform coalition, as well as representatives from civil society organizations, officials from the UN mission’s Human Rights Division, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and representatives from the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies.

In her remarks at the opening session, Stephanie Koury, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs, emphasized that the role of the United Nations mission is limited to facilitating dialogue and providing technical expertise upon request.

She urged the participants to engage constructively, share their experiences, and focus on practical outcomes that ensure a realistic path forward, wishing them success in the workshop. The participants agreed on a final draft and established a concrete path for its submission to the House of Representatives. This followed a meticulous review of each article of the draft law, building upon previous deliberations held in Geneva and Tunis under the auspices of the United Nations.

UN Special Rapporteur Gina Romero participated in this process and pledged to continue monitoring the situation, while providing the technical support necessary to ensure the adopted legislation aligns with international standards on the freedom of association—standards rooted in comprehensive consultations with Libyan civil society.

Kholoud Najm, a human rights officer with the UN mission, stated: "This tangible commitment to move forward toward the adoption of the draft law represents a significant step in ensuring that Libyan civil society organizations can operate safely, independently, and effectively."

According to the UN mission, she further noted that protecting the freedom of association is essential for ensuring meaningful public participation and an inclusive political process, including the conduct of credible elections.

...(LANA)...