Outcome LBY_O_3

UN Women strategically plans for and transforms its business model to deliver impact at scale, through agile and ethical leadership rooted in a continuous improvement culture.

2022 remained to be challenging in Libya due to its constantly evolving country context and an orchestrated campaign led by conservative groups that followed the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding between UN Women and the Ministry of Women's Affairs to develop a roadmap for the adoption of a National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325 (NAP) in 2021. As a response, UN Women adopted a low-profile approach and continued working on the UNSCR 1325's pillars without advocating for a NAP, by continuing to promote and advocate for women's meaningful participation in peacebuilding processes as protection, prevention of violence against women and relief and recovery. Despite the backlash, the office continued to make significant achievements, for example, strengthening civil society and linking its members to decision-makers with recommendations and demands for improved participation in processes from reconciliation and politics to economic development. The Cluster Office (CCO) modality has also brought significant added value to UN Women's business continuity amidst Libya's volatile context. In a context where internal movement is not possible due to the conflict, UN Women often holds events with women from different parts of the country in Tunisia, allowing the collaboration of women from diverse backgrounds. In parallel, the CCO continued to expand its presence on the ground and has two office spaces in the UN compound in Tripoli, as well as in the process of finalizing the recruitment of national staff to be based in Libya. The on-the-ground presence strengthens the partnership with government officials, with regular meetings with line Ministries such as the Ministry of Women's Affairs, Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as HNEC. The Libya CO was more rigorous around the recovery of costs, made full use of opportunities for inter-agency collaboration and streamlined operating practices, including through shared services. Knowledge management was improved through Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) related to operations procedures (eg: procurement, finance, HR transactions) to support more efficient and effective delivery of programmatic results. The lessons learned on new ways of working imposed by COVID-19 served the CO well to respond with agility to the challenges associated with the ongoing conflict in Libya. The CO leveraged partnerships with CSOs, the international community, and focused on higher-level outcomes related to knowledge production, gender mainstreaming and coordination that increased the effectiveness and efficiency of our results.