Vice Minister Marina Sereni participated, by video conference, in the seminar organized by the Mediterranean Women Mediators Network (MWMN) on “Inclusion of women as a prerequisite for sustainable peace in Libya”. The Vice Minister spoke at the beginning and at the end of the event, which was attended, among others, by Stephanie Williams, Acting Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya, who provided an overview of the Libyan political dialogue launched on 25 October, with a focus on the involvement of women in various aspects of the intra-Libyan political process and their role in this delicate phase of the country’s stabilisation. Irene Fellin, coordinator of MWMN, then moderated the discussion, which ended with a speech by the Italian Ambassador in Tripoli, Giuseppe Buccino.
The Vice Minister first of all thanked Stephanie Williams for “her tireless work in promoting political dialogue and reconciliation in Libya and for her efforts to strengthen women’s empowerment in the country, which are an example for women and all the actors involved in peace-building and mediation”.
“The conditions for sustainable peace and lasting conflict prevention can only be achieved if peace negotiations are inclusive. We must unite our efforts to enable civil society – starting with women and young people – to contribute to shaping their own future” – she continued.
“Today’s discussion has shown how the involvement of women in the various intra-Libyan dialogue forums linked to the Berlin process will be crucial. Secondly, women’s empowerment will have to extend to the government of the country as a whole – to politics, public administration at the central and local levels, but also to education, culture and the economy. We need to focus our efforts so that civil society as a whole in Libya has the opportunity to contribute to the country’s well-being”.
“I can confirm the full commitment of the Italian Government – building on a longstanding tradition – to promote this development at an international level” – Ms. Sereni concluded – “I am convinced that this could be the beginning of a new virtuous path in Libya’s interest”.
