Libya Humanitarian Emergency

Years of political division, conflict and economic strain have left Libya’s health and protection systems fragile and deeply uneven. Hospitals operate with limited staff and unreliable electricity, and supply chains break down, leaving clinics without essential medicines or contraceptives. A generation of women has come to expect that care will be unpredictable, costly or out of reach. The consequences are visible across the country, from unsafe home deliveries to rising cases of untreated sexual violence and early marriage. And gaps are only widening as new waves of refugees and migrants, particularly from Sudan, arrive through the south and along the coast, adding pressure to overstretched facilities and heightening risks for women and girls on the move or in detention.

A transition to nationally led, development-oriented coordination to resolve these concerns is slowly taking shape. It works through emerging partnerships with municipal health authorities and local women’s organizations, and efforts to embed care standards and referral systems within public health structures. But until national systems can reliably deliver quality, confidential and equitable services, continued international support remains essential. It keeps maternity wards and reproductive health services operational and maintains survivor-centred gender-based violence care. It deploys mobile teams to underserved areas and makes essential supplies, fuel and transportation available so that women and girls – Libyan, migrant and refugee alike – can access needed care and protection.