Assistance to People Affected by the Crisis in Libya

This operation has been modified as per budget revision 7

The people of Libya, long used to a welfare state that provided for all their social needs, are now in the midst of a deepening political, security and humanitarian crisis. The escalation of violence in Libya since mid-2014 has led to civilian casualties, mass displacement, as well as disruption of markets and the commercial sector, basic social services and social protection systems. This has resulted in the widespread destruction of public infrastructure.

Armed conflict and political instability has impacted the lives of more than three million people across Libya. An estimated 2.44 million people are in need of protection and some form of humanitarian assistance, 55 percent of whom are women and children. An estimated 435,000 people have been forcibly displaced from their homes and another 1.75 million non-displaced Libyans, most residing in urban centers, are in need of humanitarian assistance. The displaced are among the most vulnerable due to their loss of income and assets, limited coping capacity and insecurity, in particular displaced women, children, the elderly and those with low economic means. Refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants are also among the most vulnerable due to similar factors, as well as their exposure to social discrimination and exploitation. The cumulative effects of the conflict and the lack of access to disrupted public services, is particularly felt in both the east and south of the country.

Through emergency operation (EMOP) 200925, WFP will target some 170,000 most food insecure people as identified during the 2015 Libya Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment (MSNA). This population has significant food consumption gaps, or are only marginally able to meet minimum food requirements through negative coping strategies. WFP will also provide  ood assistance to 40,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered by UNHCR, who have been identified as being food insecure.

As the WFP Libya operation is managed remotely from Tunis, Tunisia, for its operations in Libya WFP relies entirely on cooperating partners (CP). However, reliable CPs operating inside Libya are still very limited and at present, WFP only has two CPs – Shaik Tahir Azzawi Charity Organization (STACO) in the west and south, and LibAid in the east. As humanitarian access and security continue to be a challenge, WFP will continue to engage in third-party monitoring arrangements to monitor distributions and collect beneficiary feedback on the assistance provided.

This operation focuses on achieving WFP Strategic Objective 1: Save lives and protect livelihoods in emergencies, and it contributes to achieve 2016 Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2) as well as Zero Hunger.