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:
In
all of UNDP Libya’s activities it encourages the protection of
human rights and the
empowerment of women.
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.
