The UN Security Council (SC) has scheduled two open sessions this month to discuss the situation in Libya as the term of the UN Support Mission In Libya (UNSMIL) is due to expire by the end of July.
The first session will take place on 25 July, followed by another meeting three days later. The UNSMIL, which mandate was extended last April for an extra three months, will provide a briefing before the Security Council on the developments in Libya.
Due to the sharp differences among the SC member states, the renewal of the UN political mission has only been possible for short periods of a few months.
Last December, the UN Secretary-General appointed the US diplomat Stephani Williams to lead the work of the UN in Libya following the sudden resignation of Special Envoy Jan Kubis in November 2021.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed last month that Sabri Boukadoum, the former head of Algerian diplomacy, become the organization's new envoy to Libya, but the United Arab Emirates - a non-permanent member of the UN representing the Arab world-blocked his appointment, according to diplomats.
