Libya: UNHRC Highlights Morocco’s Efforts, Importance of Skhirat Agreement

The 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council highlighted Morocco’s efforts to settle the Libyan crisis, stressing the importance of the 2015 Skhirat Political Agreement and the positive results of the Libyan Dialogue meetings held in the Kingdom. In a resolution on “technical assistance and capacity-building to improve human rights in Libya”, adopted at the end of its 48th session, the HRC “recognizes the importance of the Libyan political dialogue under the aegis of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, including the 2015 Libyan Political Agreement of Skhirat, which affirms the importance of protecting and ensuring the rights of the Libyan people in the course of a peaceful transition to a democratic political future.” The resolution also expresses its great appreciation for the efforts made under the three-pronged program (in terms of politics, economy and military), commending the positive results of the meetings that were held in Morocco. In this resolution, the HRC also recognizes the role of the United Nations and its shared responsibility in facilitating the overall political process of reconciliation between the Libyan parties. On the other hand, the Council renewed its request to the High Commissioner for Human Rights Office to provide more comprehensive and sustainable technical assistance for capacity-building of the judicial authorities, in order to promote human rights and prevent potential violations. In the same regard, it has also decided to extend the mandate of the fact-finding mission to Libya for nine months, requesting it to present a follow-up report on its findings to the Human Rights Council at its forty-ninth session.