Skip to main content

WFP Libya Country Brief, January 2020

Countries
Libya
Sources
WFP
Publication date

In Numbers

78,000 people assisted in January 2020 (estimate)

593MT of food assistance distributed in January

USD 7.4 m six month (March-August 2020) net funding requirement

Operational Updates

  • In January 2020, WFP reached approximately 78,000 people in need through its programmes in Libya: general food distributions, emergency food distributions as packages for migrants in urban settings, emergency food distributions through the Rapid Response Mechanism to internally displaced people, school feeding, and food for training initiatives in Sebha.

  • As part of a joint initiative between four UN agencies (IOM, UNFPA, UNICEF, and WFP) WFP is providing emergency food assistance to displaced families in and around Tripoli under the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM). Since its launch in April 2019, WFP has provided assistance to 37,000 people in need through in Tripoli, Ghat, and Murzuq in response to crises.

  • WFP’s School Feeding programme conducted in conjunction with the Libyan Ministry of Education and local municipalities is proceeding successfully, providing a daily date bar snack to 18,038 school age pupils in 58 schools in four municipalities in the southern region of Libya.

  • WFP signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) as a first step in a partnership that will strengthen WFP’s work across the humanitarian-development-peacebuilding nexus. The two organisations will be complementing each other’s work, connecting the USIP inter-communal dialogues and WFP’s Food Assistance for Training and Food Assistance for Assets programmes, which aim to build household and community resilience.

  • WFP, UNFPA and UN Women started a project focusing on women and youth empowerment in Sabha in January. The classes focus on English language, IT and business skills that aim to broaden the job opportunities of women and youth. This pilot project will run for three months as a first test of a nexus approach in Libya. Pending the progress and success of the programme, it may be scaled up to reach more people in other locations.

  • Food insecurity remains a challenge due to protracted displacement, disruption to markets, and dwindling food production. Livelihoods and access to basic social services have been affected by the conflict, exposing the most vulnerable people to inadequate food consumption and forcing people into negative coping strategies, such as spending savings, cutting the number of daily meals, and reducing non-food related expenses, particularly in health and education.