Madam President,
I would like to thank Special Representative Bathily and Ambassador Yamazaki for their briefings. I also welcome the participation of the representative of Libya.
We support the Secretary-General's recent emphasis that the Libyan people deserve lasting peace and stability, starting with a commitment to free and fair elections.
Let me highlight three points in this context:
First, the political situation. Efforts to organise elections over the past two years have not borne fruit, despite repeated calls from this Council on the need to reach a compromise. Switzerland calls on the Libyan players to participate in good faith and without preconditions in the good offices of the Special Representative in order to enable the organisation of free, fair, transparent and inclusive elections. Furthermore, in order to achieve this, we stress the need to increase synergies between the political and national reconciliation aspects. This reconciliation process must be inclusive, particularly of women, victim-centred and based on the rule of law. The success of the political and reconciliation process also depends on the creation of a favourable environment for the work of civil society. To this end, as Co-Chair of the Berlin Process Working Group on International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, Switzerland supported the holding of a round table on 6-7 February in Geneva. It focused on freedom of association and was organised by the Special Rapporteur on this issue.
Secondly, the situation of children. In particular, migrant children, asylum seekers and refugees, including unaccompanied children, require special protection. In fact, they continue to be arbitrarily detained in official and unofficial detention centres. These children are exposed to increased risks of violence, including sexual violence. As a matter of priority, it is imperative that the Libyan authorities and other stakeholders respect international humanitarian law and human rights, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child. There is an urgent need to end the detention of children and to allow access to all detention centres for monitoring bodies, including the United Nations, and humanitarian actors.
Third: the direct consequences of the political impasse on the civilian population. This Council recognised in October 2023 that the protracted conflict and political division have made Libya more vulnerable to the humanitarian impact of natural disasters, which are exacerbated by climate change. Switzerland recalls these links and welcomes the rapid assessment of damage and needs carried out by the World Bank, the UN and the European Union on the floods in Derna. As the report states, climate change has increased the risk of flooding by a factor of 50. The Derna disaster also illustrated the growing East-West tensions. The duplication of mechanisms, the lack of transparency around reconstruction contracts and the repression of civic space have all slowed down the delivery of aid to populations in need.
Madam President,
Switzerland supports the efforts of the Special Representative. In order to achieve a lasting solution, it is essential that this Council and the international community speak with one voice: in support of the political, security, humanitarian, economic and reconciliation aspects, in order to meet the expectations of the Libyan people.
Thank you.