Libyan Women

The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said in a statement Tuesday that female members of the High Council of State (HCS) and the House of Representatives (HoR) have agreed to work together to advocate for greater women’s representation in the country’s future parliament.

UNSMIL said the mutually-agreed strategy came during a meeting on Sunday at Bab Al Baher Hotel. 20 women, including eight from the HCS and 12 from the HoR, participated.

To start the discussion, UNSMIL technical experts outlined different mechanisms for ensuring greater women’s representation in political leadership and presented lessons learned from other countries. The participants then analyzed the pros and cons of the various approaches in the Libyan context

"Currently, women constitute around 15 percent and 16.5 percent of the High Council of State and House of Representatives, respectively. The newly published 13th Constitutional Amendment includes a temporary measure reserving 20 percent of seats in the House of Representatives for women in the upcoming elections and charged a committee with designating seats for women in the Senate." UNSMIL said. 

The Deputy Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Georgette Gagnon, who chaired the meeting, said women face unique challenges in politics due to their perceived social roles in society, adding that women  leaders have an opportunity and an obligation to ensure these challenges are addressed and a path is paved towards increased women’s representation in Libya’s elections.