Tripoli, 03/March/2024 – The Government of Italy has renewed its partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), ramping up support for inclusive elections in Libya.

In a meeting with the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) Chair, Dr. Emad Al-Sayeh today, Ambassador Gianluca Alberini committed additional Italian resources for election support coordinated by the United Nations.

Ambassador Gianluca was emphatic, stating, “Elections are associated with peace because they include everyone. Everyone has a voice, everyone has a right – and everyone has a responsibility.”

Specifically, Italy will commit more than USD 1 million to encourage and facilitate the participation of youth and persons with disabilities – two groups often under-represented in electoral processes. This will include using sign language call systems to enable the employment of people who are hard of hearing as electoral staff and voters and the purchase of Braille printers to engage those who are visually impaired, particularly on election day.

UNDP Resident Representative a.i. , Dr. Christopher Laker, explains, “Leaving no one behind is central to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Not only does this mean including those who have typically been excluded, but actively involving them in decision making and creating the positive changes that will transform their nation’s future.”

The PEPOL (Promoting Elections for the People of Libya) project provides technical assistance to Libya’s HNEC, supporting its capacity and readiness to prepare and hold national elections as part of its 2023 – 2025 Country Programme. The project is implemented by the United Nations Electoral Support Team (UNEST), comprising experts from UNDP and the UN Support Mission to Libya (UNSMIL). It is funded by the State of Libya and the governments of Canada, the Czech Republic, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.