Conclusion of Workshop on Prioritizing Risk Education and Land Release in Libya

Today marked the conclusion of the three-day workshop on Prioritizing Risk Education on Explosive Ordnance and Land Release in Libya, with the participation of national and international mine action and risk education practitioners.

The workshop was organized in collaboration between the Libyan Mine Action Centre (LibMAC), the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), with the participation of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.

Workshop Objectives
The sessions focused on strengthening participants’ capacity to develop SMART indicators and identify appropriate means of verification, while establishing a practical framework for prioritization in risk education and land release activities. The main objectives included:

• Defining guiding principles for prioritization.
• Establishing clear criteria for each principle.
• Developing measurable indicators for each criterion.
• Identifying data sources and collection needs.
• Applying weighting to indicators to determine relative importance.

Key Discussions
The program featured presentations on the current Libyan context, including types of contamination, recent accident trends, affected areas, vulnerable groups, safety and accessibility considerations, and humanitarian and developmental impacts. Participants also discussed challenges in reaching certain communities with risk education activities and the broader consequences of ongoing explosive ordnance contamination.

Outcomes and Recommendations

• Achieved a shared understanding of the current situation in Libya regarding risk education and land release.
• Endorsed a preliminary draft of the prioritization tool, including the concept of weighting and its application.
• Established a unified methodology for calculating beneficiaries of risk education and land release activities.
• Emphasized the importance of accurate data to support strategic decision-making and ensure outreach to the most vulnerable groups.

Closing Remarks
Organizers affirmed that this workshop represents an important step toward building a comprehensive national framework for prioritizing mine action activities in Libya. The outcomes are expected to enhance the effectiveness of humanitarian and developmental interventions and ensure the optimal use of available resources.