National Development challenges
The United Nations (UN) has enjoyed
a long and fruitful relationship with Libya. In 1950 the UN began
setting up the mechanisms for an independent government in the country
and when Libya first declared its independence in December 1951, it
became the first nation to achieve sovereignty through the United
Nations. A UN mission has been present in the country ever since.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was first established
in Libya in 1972. The UNDP is the UN’s global development network.
It is on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own
solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop
local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and their wide range
of partners.
The terms for UNDP and the Libyan Government’s enduring partnership
were initially established through a Standard Framework Agreement,
signed in 1972, covering agriculture, industry, transport, manpower
training and planning. Since then, UNDP Libya has worked relentlessly
to support the country’s social and economic development. Even during
the difficult period of international sanctions in the 1980’s and
1990’s, UNDP Libya retained an active presence in the country. It
collaborated with the government in its Great Man Made River Project,
a highly successful programme to eradicate screw-worm from the country’s
animal resources, and a host of other development projects.
The current climate of economic, political and social revitalisation
in Libya has provided UNDP Libya with an excellent opportunity to
enhance its commitment to achieving the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) in the Jamahiriya. As part of the largest development agency
in the world, UNDP Libya endeavours to bring its global experience
to the doorstep of Libyan policy makers at all levels. UNDP Libya
focuses on the following five practice areas:
Democratic Governance
Poverty Reduction
Environment and Energy
Crisis Prevention and Recovery
HIV/AIDS
In recent years, UNDP Libya has received international acclaim for
its role in restoring the city of Ghadames, a UNESCO world heritage
sight. It has worked to upgrade the Orthopaedic Workshop and Rehabilitation
Centre for the Disabled in Benghazi, a facility now compatible with
international standards. In co-operation with WMO, it has ensured
that Libya’s Meteorological Centre now delivers one of the highest
levels of service in the region. Its longstanding partnership with
the local National Education Authority and UNESCO has seen the establishment
of numerous secondary schools and Higher Institutes of Vocational
Training, specialised in subjects as diverse as economics, engineering,
marine technology and clothes design.
Nevertheless, UNDP remains dedicated to extending its network of partnerships
and furthering its efforts to chart a specifically Libyan path to
future development that other countries in the region, and indeed
across the globe, can follow.
