On Youth Day, Libyan young people discuss ways to achieve SDGs

August 13, 2018

Ritaj Ben Khalifa, Libyan activist, talks about solutions for arms control in Libya at the event held by '180° Organization'. Photo: ©UNDP Libya

As part of the Youth Leadership Programme 4 (YLP4), sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Arab States, UNDP Libya supported two civil society organizations based in Tripoli and one based in Benghazi to organize three events, where youth discussed ways to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Libya.

‘YLP 4’ aims at investing in young women and men across the region to unleash their potential to become social innovators, leaders and a powerful force for change in their communities.

During the three events, Libyan youth spoke up about the obstacles they are facing to fulfill their aspirations in Libya and developed ideas to promote positive change in the country and overcome challenges towards the implementation of the SDGs.

“Peace cannot be achieved in Libya without arms control. Having weapons at home makes me feel safe but it is also dangerous for my family and for the whole society,” explained Abdullah Hadia, a civil society activist who participated in the round table on SDG 16 -Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions- organized by ‘Peace Vision’ in Benghazi. “As soon as I feel safe and protected by strong state institutions, I will hand over my weapons,” he added.

‘180° Organization for Development and Awareness’ hosted another meeting about “Goal 16” in Tripoli, while ‘Dihya Organization’ carried out a round table about SDG 11- Sustainable Cities and Communities.

“Weapons become a threat to the society when the culture of violence spreads. We will work to raise awareness about the importance of peaceful coexistence,” said Ritaj Ben Khalifa, a woman participating in the 180° organization’s event.

Together with other activists, Ritaj is developing messages for a media campaign that will be launched in the upcoming weeks to promote peace in Libya.

At Dihya organization’s event, participants also planned to launch a campaign, in this case about ‘Goal 11’.

“Our campaign aims at involving young people in finding innovative solutions to environmental problems in Tripoli,” said one of the organizers.

“Zangty Ndhifa” (My Street is Clean) campaign will be launched in the upcoming weeks and will last three months.

Participants discuss SDGs implementation in an event carried out by ‘180° Organization for Development and Awareness’. Photo: ©UNDP Libya