A group of Libyan healthcare professionals has participated in the UN-supported meeting on technical exchanges to combat COVID-19.

A statement by the UNSMIL said the meeting's goal is to strengthen the response to COVID-19 and discuss, at the technical-level, ways to address gaps in service delivery.

It expressed hope that these discussions will help increase awareness around needs and response planning on COVID-19 issues seeking to build longer-term mechanisms for public health cooperation across the country.

The first session kicked off on 12 September and was dedicated to identifying needs as well as discussing joint initiatives to enhance prevention, detection, and management response.

The participants expressed commitment to cooperate across the country and with international parties to combat the threat of COVID-19, calling on Libyans to respect and protect healthcare workers in light of the prevalent security risks.

The meeting, which was held via video teleconference, was attended by health professionals from Tripoli, Sabha, and Benghazi, and was supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and undertaken in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the UNSMIL.