Women, peace and security is a duty - not a crime!
1-Upon the arrival of @DicarloRosemary, just 2days before the StablizationCof & UN celebration of #WPS21 next week,@Dabaibahamid initiates an #investigation against the MinisterofWomenAffairs 4 signing a MOU with @UN_Women to support the Libyan state in developing WPS NAP! #Libya pic.twitter.com/kusTM0gfUQ
— Zahra' Langhi (@zlanghi) October 19, 2021
We condemn the Libyan unity government’s decision to investigate its own Ministry of Women’s Affairs for taking steps to implement the women, peace and security agenda.
Passed unanimously by the UN Security Council over 20 years ago, Security Council Resolution 1325 and the women, peace and security (WPS) agenda are a critical means of dealing with the impact of conflict on women and girls under its four pillars of prevention, protection, participation, relief and recovery.
These are absolutely vital into order to bring peace and security to Libya.
The Libyan Ministry of Women’s Affairs was right to seek the assistance of UN Women in order to start developing its national action plan for the implementation of UNSCR 1325. Indeed, Minister Houria Khalifa Miloud al-Turman was given permission to sign an agreement with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
It is simply extraordinary that the Prime Minister of the unity government has now announced an investigation into the women’s ministry for signing the memorandum of understanding.
We condemn the Prime Minister’s announcement, and call on international governments, the United Nations, NGOs and the wider WPS community to join this condemnation.
This week the UN, international governments and diplomatic community will be participating in the Libyan Stability Conference, they must use this opportunity to exert pressure. Failure to do so will be rewarding this shocking behavior.
The investigation must be withdrawn, and commitments to the development of a national action plan with the input of Libyan women’s civil society, international expertise, and proper resourcing put high on the government’s agenda.
In a political culture that has seen women relentlessly attacked politically, socially, and physically, it is gross to see the leader of a country victimize his own ministers for doing the right thing.
After years of conflict and oppression, Libyan women and girls need proper support and a serious framework to ensure their meaningful participation in bringing peace and security to Libya.
This announcement is a direct attack, an attempt to criminalize one of the key duties of the Libyan government - to protect women and girls.