This year’s International Women’s Day comes at a moment of reflection for many societies across the world. Rising tensions and conflicts in several regions remind us how fragile development gains can be. Hard-won progress in human development, economic growth and governance can be quickly set back when instability takes hold.

In such moments, protecting and advancing the rights of women and girls becomes even more essential. Societies that empower women are more resilient, more peaceful and better equipped to navigate uncertainty.

As a woman working in international development, I have seen firsthand how women’s leadership transforms communities across different countries and regions. When women are able to participate fully in public life, whether in local governance, business, their community, civil society or public service, the benefits extend far beyond individual opportunities. Families are strengthened, institutions become more responsive, and communities and societies become more inclusive and resilient.

In my meetings with women across Libya, from community leaders and civil society activists to entrepreneurs and newly elected local officials, I have been struck by their determination to contribute to their communities and shape the future of their country. Their voices, ideas and leadership are essential to building a more inclusive and resilient Libya.

Women across the country continue to play an essential role in shaping their communities and contributing to the country’s future. Despite years of political and economic challenges, Libyan women are active leaders in public life, civil society, business and local governance. Their determination and commitment to their communities are powerful drivers of positive change.

Recent developments offer encouraging signs of progress. During the municipal council elections held across 119 municipalities, women’s participation in public life continued to grow. A total of 1,766 women ran as candidates, representing 26 per cent of all candidates, while 207 women were elected to municipal councils, accounting for 23.8 per cent of elected members.

For the first time in Libya’s history, two women were elected mayors, marking an important milestone for women’s leadership at the local level. Their election reflects both the growing confidence of voters in women leaders and the important role women play in strengthening inclusive governance.

These achievements resonate strongly with this year’s International Women’s Day theme: “Rights, Justice and Action for All Women and Girls.”

Advancing these principles requires sustained effort and partnership. UNDP works closely with national institutions, civil society organisations, and communities across Libya to help create the conditions that enable women to fully participate in public life and decision-making.

Much of this work is made possible through the continued support of UNDP’s development partners, whose collaboration helps advance inclusive governance, strengthen institutions and expand opportunities for women and girls across Libya.

Advancing rights and participation

Ensuring that women can participate meaningfully in political life is essential for inclusive governance. UNDP, in partnership with the High National Elections Commission (HNEC), continues to support efforts to strengthen inclusive electoral processes in Libya.

As part of this work, and in collaboration with the Women Empowerment Unit at HNEC, 137 Women Electoral Ambassadors were trained to promote civic participation and raise awareness within their communities. Through dialogue, outreach and advocacy, these ambassadors are helping ensure that women’s voices are heard and that more women feel encouraged to take part in democratic processes.   These efforts aimed at strengthening women’s representation, including provisions that allocate places for women on candidate lists.

Beyond electoral participation, supporting women’s engagement in local development processes is equally important. In the municipalities at Nafusa Mountain, UNDP is supporting initiatives that enable women to contribute to local planning and decision-making on sustainable water management. By bringing women’s perspective into community-level governance processes, these efforts ensure that development solutions respond to the needs of entire communities.  Taking action against emerging barriers.

Participation must also be protected. In recent years, women engaged in public life have increasingly faced online harassment and digital violence that can discourage their participation.
To address this challenge, UNDP supported the deployment of digital monitoring tools to track online violence and hate speech targeting women candidates and politically active women during the electoral process. This initiative generated Libya’s first official report on online violence in electoral processes, providing important evidence to inform awareness efforts and strengthen dialogue with relevant institutions on prevention and accountability.
Ensuring safe and inclusive spaces, both offline and online, is critical for protecting women’s participation in public life.

Strengthening justice and accountability

Justice and accountability remain central to advancing the rights of women and girls. Through initiatives such as the Missing Persons project,   UNDP has also helped amplify the voices of women family members of missing persons in Tarhuna, whose testimonies highlight both the profound human impact of disappearance and the critical role women play in seeking truth, justice and accountability.

UNDP has supported civil society organisations in Libya to engage in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, facilitating the preparation of shadow reports on women’s rights.   These reports brought together civil society organisations to articulate key recommendations to strengthen protections for women’s rights and advance greater equality and access to justice.

This effort helped strengthen civil society engagement in international accountability mechanisms while encouraging national dialogue on how to translate international commitments into tangible improvements in access to justice and protection.

At the same time, advancing women’s rights is closely linked to addressing corruption and strengthening public integrity. Corruption disproportionately affects women, particularly those who rely most on public services such as healthcare, education and social protection. It can deepen economic inequalities, limit access to opportunities and erode trust in institutions. Efforts to promote transparency, accountability and integrity are therefore essential not only for good governance, but also for ensuring that women and girls can access services, opportunities and justice on an equal footing.

Looking ahead
The progress achieved by women in Libya in recent years demonstrates that change is possible. From participating in elections to leading municipalities, advocating for rights and strengthening their communities, Libyan women continue to play a vital role in shaping the country’s development path.

It is important that these success stories do not remain isolated achievements but reinforce one another to generate broader and more lasting impact.

Women members of municipal councils, for example, will need continued support to meet the expectations of their constituencies. Strengthening networks among women leaders across municipal councils, the judiciary, civil society and public institutions can play an important role in sustaining this momentum. Better evidence and data are also essential to inform policies that advance inclusion and equal opportunity. In this context, UNDP is working with the General Information Authority (GIA) on Libya’s upcoming National Human Development Report, which will provide important insights into development trends and help guide future policy discussions. At a time when global challenges remind us how easily progress can be reversed, investing in women’s leadership and participation is not only a matter of equality, it is essential for sustainable development, stability and resilience.

On this International Women’s Day, we celebrate the achievements of Libyan women and reaffirm our commitment to working alongside national partners, institutions and communities to ensure that rights, justice and action for all women and girls continue to advance across Libya.