The Libyan Women’s Platform for Peace (LWPP) was launched in October 2011 by over thirty-five women from different cities and backgrounds to ensure that women remain a vital part of post-Gaddafi Libya, with a particular emphasis on inclusive transitions, women’s rights, youth leadership, advancement and security as related to women’s political and economic participation, constitutional reform, and education. Fearless work, LWPP has since grown into a network of over 100 organizations and people.
The involvement of Civil Society Organizations in the peace negotiations and national dialogue in Libya, particularly of women and youth, remain limited and virtually absent. A challenge that has steered civil society actors to adapt a new approach guided by strengthening civil society cooperation across Libya, and to target horizontally a trust building approach at grassroots. At the crux of our framework at LWPP, is the view that such levels of cooperation between civil society and local communities is critical to reposition the two vertically with political forces in Libya. This would broaden the space for a more proactive direct involvement in Libya’s peacebuilding and state-building process. For us, community trust is critical to enhancing the role civil society plays as change makers in Libya.