Declaração do Brasil em reunião do Conselho de Segurança sobre a Situação na Líbia - 19 de junho de 2023 (texto em inglês)

Statement by Brazil at the UNSC briefing on the situation in Libya
June 19th 2023

Mister President,

I thank Ambassador Ishikane for reporting on the most recent activities of the Libya Sanctions Committee.

I also thank the Special Representative Bathily for his comprehensive briefing, as well as Ms. Abeir Imneina for sharing her perspective with the Council.

I welcome the Libyan delegation to today’s meeting.

Mr President, Brazil supports the Special Representative’s engagement with all Libyan stakeholders in order to build nation-wide consensus for presidential and parliamentary elections.

Given that we are already halfway through 2023, the goal of holding elections still in the current year seems increasingly an ambitious endeavour. In our view, that ambition should be carefully measured. We should not lose sight of UNSMIL’s core mandate, which is to exercise mediation and provide its good offices to further political dialogue among all Libyan parties.

We welcome the announcement made by the members of the 6+6 Joint Committee, earlier this month, on the agreement they reached regarding electoral laws. We thank the government of Morocco for hosting meetings in the city of Bouznika, which allowed for the members of the House of Representatives and of the High State Council in the 6+6 Committee to work constructively towards that goal. We encourage the two Libyan chambers to follow up on the outcome, as appropriate, including through addressing concerns identified by key Libyan stakeholders and eventually through passing of relevant legislation.

Brazil recognises the important role that the League of Arab States and the African Union can play in support of building trust and fostering national reconciliation among all Libyan stakeholders. National reconciliation and measures that build trust should run in parallel to efforts to bring about political transition.

Additionally, a comprehensive peacebuilding approach would also contribute to the sustainability of any political settlement in Libya. In that regard, Brazil encourages the Libyan authorities to consider engaging with the Peacebuilding Commission, which could help mobilise international support for Libya’s national peacebuilding priorities, in full respect of Libyan sovereignty.

In relation to foreign assistance provided to Libyan authorities outside the framework of UN institutions, Brazil stresses the importance of respecting relevant Security Council resolutions. The provision of material and logistical support carries the risk of further destabilizing the situation on the ground. We recall, specifically, that the provision of military training may constitute a breach of the UN arms embargo, pursuant to resolution 1970, regardless of the Libyan stakeholders that benefit from it.

We also echo concerns expressed by the Panel of Experts regarding the freezing of Libyan assets under the UN sanctions regime. As suggested by the Panel, we encourage Member States to consider exempting these assets, where applicable, from banking policies of negative interest rates, which contribute to their depletion.

We also trust that the Sanctions Committee, assisted by the Panel of Experts, will be sensitive to the need to avert other causes of erosion of the Libyan assets frozen abroad, and preserve Libyan funds for the benefit of the Libyan people.

Mister President,

We share the concerns expressed by UNSMIL regarding the situation of asylum seekers in Libya. We encourage the relevant Libyan authorities to collaborate with UNSMIL to address these concerns, with a view to the protection of human rights of refugees and migrants. We agree with the SRSG on the, “need to work together to ensure the centrality of human rights throughout all stages of the political process in Libya”. Alleviating the drama of refugees and migrants in the Libyan context is part of our common responsibility, and we call for intensified efforts by the international community in this regard, including through development-based approaches.

To conclude, Brazil reiterates the need for an inclusive Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political process, which the UN should continue to facilitate based on the principles of inclusivity, transparency, non-discrimination and national ownership.

Thank you (in foreign language).