Libya’s efforts to achieve political unity continue to face significant obstacles, the United Nations’ leading representative for the North African nation told the Security Council during Wednesday’s session. Hanna Tetteh, who serves as the UN secretary-general’s special representative for Libya and leads the UN Support Mission in Libya, expressed concern that the political blueprint she introduced in August 2025 has failed to generate the momentum necessary for restoring democratic governance and establishing unified state structures.
During her address to council members, Tetteh acknowledged the lack of advancement on her proposed plan. “We are not where we would like to be in terms of progress on the roadmap,” she stated. The UN envoy criticized certain Libyan leaders for disregarding public demands and permitting “parallel structures” to develop beyond existing agreements, which she said undermines UN efforts to reunite the nation. “Allowing status quo actors to evade their responsibilities will only undermine efforts to preserve Libya’s unity and wealth and delay the path to sustained peace, stability, and development,” Tetteh explained.
The UN representative called on Security Council members to leverage their influence in pushing Libyan leadership toward finding common ground, cautioning that ongoing political stagnation only serves to deepen the current division rather than resolve it. Tetteh’s comprehensive strategy includes three key components: establishing an electoral system for both presidential and parliamentary elections, creating a unified administration, and facilitating extensive dialogue that includes Libyans from all regions of the country.
The North African nation has experienced division for several years, with competing institutions operating in eastern and western regions. A scheduled national election in December 2021 fell apart due to disagreements over candidate eligibility and voting procedures. Since the breakdown of the UN-supported transition process that was designed to unite the country following the 2020 ceasefire agreement, Libya has operated under rival governments.
One encouraging development occurred recently when Libya’s competing legislative assemblies gave approval to the nation’s first consolidated state budget in over ten years, representing what many view as progress toward financial unity. However, Tetteh emphasized that while this budget approval is positive, it doesn’t address the fundamental issue of democratic representation, and Libya’s political impasse remains far from resolved.
