The 18th January 2009 marked an important event for the United Nations (UN) in Libya and its close partner, the Gaddafi Charity and Development Foundation (GICDF), as the UN resident coordinator, Mr. Brian Gleeson announced that the foundation has been accredited as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) with an observer status at the UN . The Gaddafi Foundation’s achievement is noteworthy as it is the first Libyan organization to attain official UN endorsement.

At a press conference held at the UN House in Tripoli, Brian Gleeson emphasised that the GICDF’s accreditation was a reflection of their long and healthy partnership with the UN, and that he considered that ‘this association will facilitate an excellent opportunity for a greater sharing of information and involvement in the purposes and activities of the United Nations and the Gaddafi Foundation’.

It was a sentiment echoed by Dr. Yousef Sawani, the Executive Director of the Gaddafi Foundation. He added that he believed that their close partnership would allow the Gaddafi Foundation to benefit from UN’s international experience and would prove particularly beneficial to the foundation’s development work in Africa. The move will serve to increase international awareness of the Gaddafi Foundation’s work, drawing attention to the South-South cooperation reflected in its admirable efforts in Africa, and extending opportunities for international and regional partnerships.

The Gaddafi Foundation, whose chairman is Saif Al Islam Al Gaddafi, son of the Libyan leader, was founded in 2003. Since then, the foundation has been involved in a large number of development projects, throughout both Libya and Africa. Its focus has been on poverty reduction, social welfare, health care, environmental protection and the provision of emergency relief aid to areas affected by war or disaster.

The UN, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Gaddafi foundation have already collaborated on numerous successful projects. Their cooperation in the sphere of demining in Libya has seen the development of a mine action project, designed to enhance efforts to tackle the devastation wreaked by unexploded landmines in the country. They have worked together on the issue of HIV/AIDS in Libya, as they jointly launched initiatives to raise awareness of the virus, support people living with HIV, and reduce transmission rates. In the environmental sector, they have recently agreed to collaborate with UNDP in the Sabratha Clean City project, a scheme designed to increase community involvement in environmental protection.

New opportunities for cooperation are being discussed by UN, UNDP and the Gaddafi Foundation, to further cement this partnership and take advantage of the new avenues of co-operation offered by the foundation’s official UN NGO status.