From consultation to co-ownership: giving young Libyans a real voice in policy

Libya’s future is being shaped by a generation that is young, connected and ambitious. Young people are not a side topic in our national conversation. They will live longest with the consequences of the decisions we take today, from education and employment to local services and the way our institutions work.

In my work leading the committee preparing Libya’s National Youth Strategy 2026–2031, I have heard the same frustration described from different sides of the table. Young people are asked for their views, but rarely see what happens next. Institutions want to engage young people, but are not always set up to act on what they hear.

Consultation is not the same as influence

Consultation has real value. It brings new perspectives into the room and signals respect. But when it ends with a report that sits on a shelf, it can do more harm than good. Each unanswered consultation teaches young people that participation is symbolic, and trust, once lost, is slow to rebuild.

The question for policymakers is therefore not whether to consult, but how to connect what young people say to what institutions actually do.

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Every consultation should end with a clear answer to a simple question: what changed because of this?

Three shifts that turn participation into ownership

Across public institutions, international organisations and civil society, I have seen three practical shifts make the difference.

01Close the feedback loop

Publishing how input shaped a decision, and explaining honestly why some ideas could not be adopted, turns a one-off event into a relationship. People can disagree with an outcome and still trust a process that shows its working.

1. STEP 1Listen
2. STEP 2Decide
3. STEP 3Deliver
4. STEP 4Report back

02Give young people a role in delivery, not only in design

Young people should help track whether commitments are kept. Youth councils, local initiatives and professional networks can monitor progress, flag problems early and keep programmes grounded in the realities of their communities.

03Link youth priorities to budgets and institutional plans

A priority without resources remains a wish. Connecting youth commitments to ministry plans, municipal budgets and named responsibilities is what moves a strategy from paper to practice.

Leadership means creating space, not taking it

Leading a national process has taught me that the most important leadership task is often to create space for others: to bring institutions together around shared priorities, to protect time for listening, and to keep the work focused on outcomes rather than on who receives the credit.

In practice, this means meeting people where they are. Formal workshops matter, but so do conversations with municipal teams, youth-led initiatives and Libyan professionals abroad who want to contribute but are rarely asked.

It also means being honest about constraints. Young people do not expect every problem to be solved at once. They do expect clarity, consistency and respect.

What partners can do

Libya’s international partners have an important role to play. The most useful support strengthens national systems rather than building parallel ones: helping institutions gather evidence, design implementation plans, develop skills and measure results. Support that invests in Libyan ownership lasts longer than any single project. It also requires patience: institutions change at the pace at which the people inside them can adopt new ways of working.

Libya’s young people are ready to contribute. Our task, in government, in diplomacy and in our professional networks, is to make sure that contribution is visible in the decisions that shape their lives. That is how participation becomes ownership, and ownership becomes progress.

The views expressed in this article are my own and do not represent any employer, government body or institution with which I am affiliated.