Political Platform
[Funding: European Commission]
With the resumption of the civil war in April 2019, the wide network of trust built since 2015 demonstrated that it could be usefully mobilised to support the UN-led mediation efforts and contribute to peacebuilding.
Two major political dialogue meetings were convened in Tunis in July and October 2019, bringing together influential social and political figures from across the political divide. These meetings constituted the first step towards dialogue since the resumption of violent conflict. They were followed by major outreach efforts with key Libyan actors inside and outside Libya. Many political figures stated their willingness to engage with the Peace Makers in a longer-term political dialogue project, based on the social contract and focusing on the future of political life.
With the Libya Dialogue Platform, the Peace Makers and the Mediterranean Platform team (back then at the EUI MEDirections Programme) designed a dialogue process between Libya’s major political actors addressing the conflict from an issue-based, long-term policy approach. The aim was to decompartmentalise dialogue and encourage discussions of key policy issues beyond the restricted circle of political elites, bringing together different constituencies and stakeholders. Discussions focused on the constitutional process and the future of political life; youth political participation; the reform and governance of the economy; national reconciliation.
The Platform for Libya’s Future is the continuation of this project. It builds upon more than seven years of continuous and innovative efforts in the field of dialogue and mediation. The Libyan ownership of dialogue has been a central feature of our work.
