Advancing stability and preventing further deterioration by strengthening conditions that will enable political compromise.

WHY USAID/OTI IS IN LIBYA

More than nine years after the February 2011 revolution, Libya remains a fractured state that continues to experience civil conflict. National and local governance institutions struggle with legitimacy, capacity, and fragmentation; public service delivery is inconsistent; a liquidity crisis undermines the economy; insecurity is rife; and violent extremist groups remain a threat. The conflict’s current iteration is also marked by increasing levels of malign foreign interference and support. The U.S. Government recognizes the dangers that continued instability poses to North Africa and the Mediterranean, and is committed to helping Libya become a stable, unified, and prosperous state.

USAID/OTI’S ROLE IN LIBYA

USAID/OTI’s Libya Transition Initiative (LTI) implements targeted, timely, and locally-driven projects across the country. The strategic goals underlying these projects have evolved alongside Libya’s changing circumstances. Today, LTI works to advance stability and prevent further deterioration by strengthening conditions that will enable political compromise. LTI implements projects across the country to serve three objectives:

• Address pressing community grievances and restore basic services to build or maintain stability in strategic, conflict-affected areas; 
• Preserve civilian institutions to carry out their basic functions so they continue to exist and provide alternatives to military actors; and 
• Strengthen the momentum of moderate actors (e.g., civil society and local government) to advance political transition and compromise.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

USAID/OTI’s recent work capitalizes on nine years of programming and serves as a force multiplier for diplomatic and development initiatives. Examples include:

• LTI expanded the reach of the Libyan National Center for Disease Control alongside its public health campaign in response to COVID-19, to encourage Libyans to work together, offering a positive political vision for a united Libya despite deepening divisions due to escalating civil unrest. Over two dozen Libyan civil society groups, relief organizations, and media outlets amplified these messages, leading to more than 5 million online impressions in the first few weeks of the campaign. 
• LTI mitigated the risk of security vacuums forming in the south by providing emergency response and service-delivery assistance to address grievances of conflict-affected communities. 
• LTI contributed to Sirte's stabilization post-liberation from the Islamic State, with over $13 million in early recovery assistance focused on building operational capacity of key recovery institutions and addressing immediate service delivery needs.