On Sept. 23, heavy rainfall from Cyclone Daniel collapsed two dams in the Libyan port city of Derna. The results: a devastating flood, 70 buildings decimated, infrastructure destroyed and at least 11,000 dead. Though Libya received aid from the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Egypt after the storm, much more assistance was required.  

In response, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided $1 million in humanitarian assistance along with a Disaster Assistance Response Team. This team conducted needs analyses and connected with Libyan authorities and international partners to remedy the devastations on the ground.

USAID programs have a long history in Libya. Prior to Cyclone Daniel, USAID dedicated more than $178 million across five programs intended to improve democracy, governance and economic growth. 

More than 2 million Libyans currently live in poverty, and approximately 125,000 remain internally displaced. The USAID programs in Libya aim to lessen poverty by increasing the capacity of the state to respond to the needs of the people, stimulating the workforce and reducing the prospects of violence. 

USAID Programs in Libya

• Libya Elections and Legislative Strengthening Activity (LESLA): 2018-2024. Since the fall of Qadhafi, instability and violence have prevented a unified Libya from taking shape and exacerbated poverty in the nation. USAID is working with the High National Election Commission (HNEC) and civil society organizations (CSOs) to adapt a manageable legal framework for electoral processes. Through this partnership, the program intends to establish election bodies that function to maintain honest political oversight. LESLA also aims to establish an all-inclusive civic approach by working with political parties to recognize the importance of minority protections. Finally, LESLA is working against hate speech and disinformation by encouraging citizen journalism and establishing fact-checking by civil society.
• Local Governance and Civil Society (LGCS) – Taqarib: 2019-2025. Taqarib is all about closeness. In fact, it is an Arabic word translating to “coming together”. Throughout the duration of this program, LGCS will work across 31 Libyan municipalities to decentralize public services. Decentralization refers to the creation of additional local offices and authorities, ultimately easing the process of public project approvals. Taqarib works in the public sphere by organizing peer to peer events and encouraging citizen involvement to determine the best service delivery projects for their municipalities.
• Promoting Leadership and Activism of Youth (PLAY) for Peace in Libya. To shape the youth is to shape the future. PLAY brings together young people from five neighboring communities that share a history of violence and division. This offers a chance to reconcile differences and allows divided communities to create bonds of what is hoped to become a lasting peace with one another. Through teaching constructive communication, engaging youth with municipal councils and growing tolerance for non-discrimination, this USAID program in Libya will shape Libya’s leaders of tomorrow.
• Libya Economic Acceleration Program (LEAP). LEAP intends to increase state stability through economic security. For the past twenty years, Libya’s unemployment rate has hovered at 20%. This USAID program intends to remedy this stagnation by building entrepreneurial skills for business development— specifically for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). LEAP not only addresses business management and productivity, but also addresses the work force. USAID partners will provide job seekers with technical and vocational education training (TVET) to ensure they meet the needs of the labor market. 
• Libya Public Financial Management (LPFM): 2019-2024. LPFM works with Libyan economic institutions to provide better public services through national level interventions. USAID will work with the Central Bank of Libya (CBL) on monetary policy to ensure tame inflation and uphold the standards of the Basel II Accord. The main tenets of Basel II include maintaining a minimum level of liquid capital in the central bank while sustaining regulatory requirements and risk management to decrease market volatility. LPFM is additionally working alongside the Libyan Audit Bureau to train auditors, update digital strategies and to ultimately renew the institution through the development of transparent methods of operation and restoration of trust by the people.

Looking Ahead

The situation in Libya is complicated. After the fall of Gaddafi, Libya split into two rival governments: the UN-supported democracy of Tripoli and the Libyan National Army (LNA). The LNA has shut down several ports for oil exports, suffocating the Libyan economy. As a result, USAID programs that focus on economic reform and business development have become critically important in Libya. With the help of USAID and implementation of its anti-corruption programs, transparency initiatives and legal reform, Libya can rebuild itself into a unified government. 

– Anthony Coletta
Photo: Flickr