Despite displacement and hardship, she strives to give her children warmth and a sense of belonging. @UNHCR\Malaz When the war reached her neighbourhood in Niyala, south of Darfur, Massara’s life changed in a single night. Their home stood close to a military warehouse — a constant target. “There was fire everywhere,” she recalls. “The militia attacked us. My son Hafez was shot in the leg. Then both of my sons — Hafez and Mohamed — disappeared. They went missing, and until today I don’t know if they are alive.”Not long after, her husband was abducted. “Men were being targeted. There was no safety anywhere,” she says. With her daughters and youngest son terrified, and the family home destroyed, she made the only decision a mother could make — to flee to protect the children she still had with her.She arrived in Libya in October 2023, carrying nothing bu t fear and a determination to keep her daughters safe. “My biggest worry was losing them too,” she says. “Especially my daughters.”The emotional toll of the war followed the children even after reaching safety. “They lost their father for a long time, and their brothers. They have nightmares. Loud sounds terrify them.” Nine-year-old Hamza cries when he hears fireworks. “He holds his chest and says, ‘Mum, I will die now, my heart will stop.’ I hold him and tell him, ‘I am here, no one will touch you.’”Tripoli Libya (2025) Massara holds her son Hamza, after fleeing the conflict in Darfur. For Hamza, safety means being in his mother’s arms. @UNHCR\MalazTo survive, she began searching for work every day — markets, shops, houses — but it meant leaving the children alone. “It broke me, but what choice did I have?” Months later, two of her oldest daughters began cleaning houses so she could remain with the youngest ones during the day. “They became caretakers too — children taking care of each other.”After two years apart, her husband was able to rejoin the family, but his health is fragile after being tortured whilst detained in Sudan, and he cannot work. The burden remains on her shoulders. “As a mother, even when I am exhausted or sick, I don’t show it,” she says. “I cry in a dark room when they sleep, but I wake up strong again because they only have me.”The hardest part for her is not fear — it is watching childhood slip away. “There is no education, no chance for them to learn. I promised them I would put them in school, but I know I cannot. My heart is broken because I know I will break this promise.”Yet, she holds on to hope. “What gives me strength is my dream that one day they will be safe, have an education, and grow up in a peaceful place.  I want to watch them be who they are meant to be.”When asked what care means after everything she has survived, her answer is simple and profound:
“Care is being your family’s protector — their life saver, their backbone.”For the International Day of Care and Support, her message is for every mother who carries her family alone in silence:
“Our children need us. We are their strength and hope. Even when we feel weak, we must stay strong — because they draw their courage and strength from us.” UNHCR in Libya has been operating in Libya since 1991 and has offices in Tripoli and Benghazi, and outposts in Alkufra and Ajdabiya, as well as a back-office in Tunis.  In Libya UNHCR maintains access to refugees and upholds their fundamental rights. It provides life-saving assistance to refugees and asylum seekers in detention centres, disembarkation points and in urban settings, and finds durable solutions outside Libya for the most vulnerable and at-risk refugees and asylum seekers. UNHCR collaborates very closely with the Government and authorities.  Because refugees are spread throughout the country, UNHCR provides support to host communities to be able to cope with the additional needs in their towns and villages.

Representatives of the United Nations in Libya, joined by Libyan ministers and officials, ambassadors, members of the public, and Special Representative of the Secretary General, Hanna Tetteh, celebrated the UN Day and opened a photography exhibition, entitled “Building Our Future Together”, at Eskandar Arts House.The exhibition marks eighty years since the founding of the organization and highlights the UN’s partnership with the people of Libya in advancing peace, stability and sustainable development.  “This exhibition tells the stories of partnership and perseverance: teachers keeping classrooms open during power cuts, engineers restoring water systems, youth cleaning beaches, women entrepreneurs creating livelihoods, and advocates ensuring accessibility for all,” said SRSG Tetteh. She added that the exhibition invites all Libyans, international partners and UN colleagues to work side by side for a common purpose supporting the country’s progress. The UN Day commemorates the entry into force of the UN Charter in 1945, marking the formal establishment of the UN. For eighty years, the UN has sought to advance the principles of peace, justice, human rights, and international cooperation. Libya was one of the first nations to be affirmed for independence through the UN system, following resolutions of the General Assembly in 1949.  “Through many initiatives across Libya, including those represented in this photo exhibition, the UN stands with Libyans: connecting, supporting and helping your ideas, knowledge and skills grow. Our measure of success will not be how many barriers we remove together, but how many opportunities we create together,” said SRSG Tetteh in her opening remarks.  The opening ceremony was followed by a round table discussion with youth, women and persons with disabilities from across the country, led by DSRSG Stephanie Koury and DSRSG Ulrika Richardson, alongside representatives from UNDP, UNFPA and UNHCR.  The discussion focused on amplifying the perspectives of Libya’s next generation and highlighting their aspirations for a better future. In her opening remarks, DSRSG/RC Richardson highlighted “Libya stands at a turning point, and Libya’s younger generation has shown that it has the courage, talent and vision to steer the country toward stability and peace”. She added it was “important to build together a Libya where every voice counts and every person contributes to lasting peace and development.”  “The future of any country is constantly being built through dialogue between generations, blending wisdom with new ideas,” added SRSG Tetteh. “To Libya’s young people, ultimately you will lead the way with your dreams, skills, expertise and courage. Your participation is not symbolic, it is essential.” The UN entities working to support a better future in Libya are: FAO, ILO, IOM, OCHA, OHCHR, UN Habitat, UN Women, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNMAS, UNODC, UNOPS, UNSMIL, WFP and WHO.  

Tripoli, Libya — For years, Ghalia Sassi worked in the education sector before beginning her civil society engagement, leading community initiatives and acting as an independent political figure focused on women’s issues and advocating for their rights. Through her experience, she observed that while women contribute significantly to state institutions, their presence in decision-making positions remains limited.This reality also appears in UN Women’s 2022 study on Libyan Women in Public Office and Decision-Making, which shows that women represent 46% of the workforce in ministerial institutions, including 70% in education and 63% in health. Despite these high numbers, women still lack representation in leadership roles.After 2011, Ghalia joined one of the newly established political parties to strengthen women’s participation. Yet she faced many challenges, including insufficient legal frameworks that fail to support and empower women, the absence of protection mechanisms, and social resistance that limits women’s political engagement. In this regard, UN Women’s 2023 study on Women’s Political Participation in Libya: Review of Electoral Legislation identifies these same barriers and highlights the importance of civil society engagement and training programmes as key pathways to strengthen women’s participation.Ghalia explains that her experience confirmed that women’s political participation requires more than including their names on electoral lists; it demands economic empowerment, self-confidence, and awareness of rights. She observes that many women withdrew from candidacy due to limited protection and an unsupportive environment.Building on these lessons, Ghalia shifted her focus to women’s economic empowerment. She founded training centres that offered courses in tailoring, computing, and languages, creating broader job opportunities for women. International partners later supported and expanded the project, and other cities replicated the model. For Ghalia, establishing these centres represents a vital step toward strengthening women’s role in economic life. “I can be a strong voice and a helping hand that contributes to improving the situation of women and their living conditions,” she says.In addition to her work on the ground, Ghalia leads several roles within civil society. She serves as executive director of the Libyan Women’s Network for Peace Support and heads the Ma’aha Organization for Women’s Rights. She also led the “With Thirty We Begin” campaign, which aimed to pass legislation enhancing women’s participation in decision-making. The campaign collected 70 signatures from Members of Parliament before the armed conflict in Tripoli in 2019 forced her to halt the effort.Ghalia notes that UN Women Libya supported her journey through capacity-building programmes on women’s rights and mediation, and through training on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, which calls for women’s active participation in peacebuilding. “The knowledge I gained through these programmes and trainings gave me the confidence to speak up and link my local work to broader efforts for change,” she says. UN Women conducts research and supports women’s networks and alliances in national dialogues, which strengthen her role as a civil society actor.In 2025, the efforts of Ghalia, civil society organizations, and the “With Thirty We Begin” campaign began to bear fruit. Through her advocacy and continuous engagement, Ghalia contributed to the inclusion of a recommendation for a minimum quota of 30% for women in any upcoming elections in Libya. This development came as a result of her ongoing coordination with members of the Advisory Committee established by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to address political bottlenecks. The committee’s final report included a clear recommendation to adopt this quota within legislative bodies. This achievement represents the outcome of coordinated, cumulative work by women activists and civil society organizations, and marks a significant step toward strengthening women’s representation in Libya’s political life.This year, Ghalia continued her presence in national discussions by joining a meeting that the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) organized in Tripoli, in cooperation with UN Women Libya and UNDP. The meeting focused on developing a Code of Conduct to Prevent Violence Against Women in Elections, and brought together candidates, young women, and women with disabilities. For Ghalia, this participation reflects her ongoing commitment to women’s empowerment and her belief that protecting women from violence forms a prerequisite for fair and inclusive political participation.Reflecting regional recognition of her contribution, she was chosen, with the support of UNSMIL, to represent North Africa at the launch of the “She Stands for Peace” E-Book in Windhoek, Namibia, organized by the African Union and the United Nations. The book highlights twenty African women who have played an active role in building peace within their communities. This recognition stands as a tribute to Ghalia’s ongoing efforts to promote peace and women’s empowerment in Libya and beyond.Ghalia believes that the progress women achieved so far remains fragile. She emphasizes that achieving fair opportunities requires continuous training, awareness-raising, and the development of stronger legal frameworks that enable women to participate effectively at all levels.

Abdelrahman’s StoryAbdelrahman lost everything in the floods. For months, he had nothing. But with courage, determination, and the support of his community, he rebuilt his business and found hope again. He says it was the youth of Derna, standing firm and refusing to give up, who inspired him to keep going. Their resilience turned devastation into a chance to rise again. Watch the full interview here:   Al-Mahdi’s StoryAl-Mahdi’s restaurant was once one of the busiest in Derna. After the floods, it was left in ruins. At first, he thought the city could never recover. But step by step, he rebuilt his restaurant, restoring not only his livelihood but also a place for people to gather again. His journey is proof that determination can bring life back even after unimaginable loss. Watch the full interview here:  These projects were supported by the UN in Libya through the World Food Programme in Libya.
They were implemented together with local partners, authorities and communities, with support from Germany.