The Libya Socioeconomic Dialogue provides and supports a platform for Libyans to formulate, discuss, evaluate and advocate for a socioeconomic Future Vision to help in achieving stabilization and sustainable development in Libya. The platform bases its discussions on evidence-based research produced by Libyan experts for the project in its initial, normative phase.
 
The aim of the first phase of the project is to reach an agreement on an Agenda for the Dialogue that addresses the root causes of conflict and enables to build consensus on Libya’s future socioeconomic development. To achieve that, three comprehensive baseline studies were commissioned to gain a snapshot on the state of the Libyan economy, society and governance today. The process included organizing a series of expert group meetings which convened a wide range of Libyan experts and ESCWA’s in-house expertise as well as international experts and allowed the participants to discuss astute questions and triggered intellectual, professional debate to shape the socioeconomic priorities and alternative frameworks for sustainable development in Libya and to provide insight into the workings of the Libyan economy, society and governance system and the key challenges and opportunities for human and institutional capacity building and identify a set of priorities that would help shape the agenda for the dialogue process.
 
These studies used the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a benchmark and sought to identify several priority themes that could serve as entry points or catalysts for broader transformative change and thus assist Libya’s progress in achieving the SDGs. Each study has been enriched through wide expert-level consultations, international expert reviews, and Libyan expert meetings group discussions and input, held for each of the three thematic pillars. These baseline studies also benefited from international experiences and best practices.