Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security
Council meeting on Libya.
Thank you, President,
I thank SRSG Bathily for his briefing and the Permanent
Representative of Japan for his update on the 1970 committee. I
also welcome the participation of the Representative of Libya in
this meeting.
Firstly, I want to express the UK’s deep condolences to the
people of Libya following the devastating flooding in Derna. The
UK is committed to supporting those affected by the flooding. We
have mobilised over $6 million in support, contributing to the UN
Flash Appeal, deploying UK emergency medical teams, and technical
engineering support. We will continue to coordinate closely with
the UN and Libyan authorities on further support required.
We welcome SRSG Bathily’s statement on the need for a national
mechanism to direct recovery and reconstruction efforts. To be
effective, any reconstruction efforts must be unified across
eastern and western Libya, and coordinated with local, national
and international partners. There must be full transparency,
effective oversight, and accountability to the Libyan people.
President, the devastating floods simply reinforce our assessment
that the status quo is unsustainable and will not deliver what
the Libyan people need. Libya’s citizens continue to suffer from
the lack of political progress. A unified and
democratically-elected government is needed to respond
effectively to citizen’s needs.
In this regard, we note UNSMIL’s assessment that the updated
electoral laws constitute a working basis to hold elections and
require the commitment of all major parties to implement.
However, as SRSG has made clear, contentious issues remain. These
need to be resolved through an inclusive political agreement.
Therefore, Libya’s leaders must urgently engage with SRSG
Bathily, in a constructive manner, to give this process a chance
of success. They should attend any UN convened meetings and make
concessions in order to move Libya towards elections.
We look forward to working with Council Members on the renewal of
the UNSMIL’s mandate later this month. UNSMIL is an essential
partner in Libya and vital to efforts to help create a path
towards free, fair and inclusive Presidential and Parliamentary
elections. We hope this renewal will provide the continuity that
SRSG Bathily needs to lead the Mission and steer international
support towards an inclusive political settlement for Libya.
