Libya and International CooperationOpinion
How partners can best support Libyan institutions
International support achieves the most when it strengthens national ownership, Libyan leadership and the patience for systems to mature.
Libya has benefited from the goodwill and expertise of many international partners, from United Nations agencies to bilateral programmes and international organisations. Having worked alongside several of them, I have seen how much good technical cooperation can achieve, and how much its success depends on the way it is designed.
The most effective partnerships I have seen share one feature: they leave institutions stronger than they found them.
Ownership is the foundation
National ownership is often described as a principle. In practice, it is a set of choices: who sets priorities, who leads the work, whose systems are used and who presents the results. When Libyan institutions lead these choices, programmes are more relevant, more sustainable and better understood by the people they serve.
The best measure of support is what remains when the project ends.
Five principles for effective cooperation
01Align with national priorities
Programmes should start from national strategies and institutional plans, so that support reinforces work that is already owned and resourced.
02Work through national systems
Wherever possible, planning, procurement and reporting should strengthen existing institutional systems.
03Invest in people
Training is most valuable when it is linked to real responsibilities, mentoring and the chance to apply new skills on the job.
04Coordinate among partners
When partners share information and divide tasks according to their strengths, institutions spend less time managing projects and more time delivering.
05Allow time for change
Institutions change at the pace at which the people inside them can adopt new ways of working. Multi-year commitments and realistic milestones make that possible.
A shared responsibility
Libyan institutions also have a role in making cooperation work: setting clear priorities, assigning focal points, sharing information and taking ownership of results. Partnership works best when both sides bring commitment and clarity.
I am encouraged by the many examples of cooperation that already reflect these principles. Building on them, Libya and its partners can turn technical support into lasting institutional capacity, and that capacity into better services for Libyans.
The views expressed in this article are my own and do not represent any employer, government body or institution with which I am affiliated.
