USAID/OTI Libya Program Quarterly Report: January - March 2012

Office of Transition Initiatives
LIBYA
OTI MISSION STATEMENT
To support U.S. foreign
policy objectives by helping
local partners advance
peace and democracy in
priority countries in crisis.
Seizing critical windows of
opportunity, OTI works on
the ground to provide fast,
flexible short-term
assistance targeted at key
political transition and
stabilization needs.
FAST FACTS
Start Date: June 2011
Budget: $10.5 million
USAID/OTI
http://www.usaid.gov
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (USAID/OTI) launched the Libya Transition
Initiative (LTI) in June 2011 to support Libyan efforts to build an inclusive and
accountable democratic government that reflects the will and needs of the Libyan
people.
Specifically, USAID/OTI partners with civil society organizations, local media
outlets and interim governing authorities to support—
• Transitional political processes, particularly elections and constitutional
development;
• Reconciliation, including transitional justice; and
• Good governance, especially to improve strategic communications and
public access to information.
PROGRAM AREAS
USAID/OTI’s activities target an urgent need to ensure the voices of everyday
citizens, especially women and youth, are amplified so all Libyans can participate
in the country’s historic transition to democracy. As the political process continues
to evolve, USAID/OTI’s rapid-response ability will be well suited to meet additional
unforeseen needs that may emerge. To date, USAID/OTI has implemented the
following:
• Activities that help civil society organizations improve organizational
capacity to effectively represent the public during the transition;
• Public outreach campaigns to keep citizens informed about the transition
process;
• Projects that help emerging independent media outlets improve the quality
of information and advance the capacity of the media sector to serve as a
conduit for public exchange;
• Human rights trainings to help citizens understand, prevent, and document
abuses; and
• Workshops that facilitate dialogue between Libyan citizens, members
of the transitional government, and international experts to help
develop participatory processes for government formation.
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Quarterly Report, Jan - Mar 2012

COUNTRY SITUATION
In early 2011, inspired by the Arab world uprisings against oppressive regimes, peaceful protests erupted in
Benghazi calling for the end to Muammar Qadhafi’s 42 years of unchallenged authoritarianism. Qadhafi’s attempts
to violently suppress these peaceful protests in February 2011 sparked an armed rebellion backed by political and
military defections across the country. The rebellion in Benghazi soon motivated other regions to unite in ad hoc
militias to challenge the Qadhafi regime. By October, these bands of revolutionaries achieved their objective with
the capture and death of Qadhafi outside his hometown of Sirte. With the revolutionaries’ common enemy gone, the
people of Libya are developing a common vision for their future, nominally led by the self-appointed National
Transitional Council (NTC) that is exercising a legislative function and serving as the Government of Libya.
October 23, 2011, Liberation Day, marked the beginning of a 20-month roadmap outlined in the Constitutional
Charter, which delineated processes for elections, drafting a new constitution, and electing a permanent government.
The first elections, scheduled for June 2012, present a formidable logistical challenge in a country that has
not held any form of election for nearly 50 years. While the United Nations, European Union, United States, and
other bilateral donors are able to offer support for the management and administration of the elections, USAID/OTI
is uniquely positioned to support civic education of private citizens, the media, and civil society in an emerging
democracy, as well as provide support for election outreach. The subsequent phases of the transition will likewise
present unique challenges for a country dominated for 42 years by Qadhafi and his cult of personality. USAID/OTI
will be positioned to quickly and flexibly respond to unforeseen needs as democratic institutions begin to take hold.
The security situation in Libya remains one of the biggest challenges facing the new government. There is currently
no effective police or military force controlled by the government. Various militias occupy this security vacuum and
control the areas liberated from Qadhafi. Skirmishes are common along disputed lines of control and between
militias from different tribes or ethnic groups that have historical grievances. These disputes, along with the psychosocial
scars from years of autocratic oppression and the recent revolution, make reconciliation and transitional
justice an immediate priority to ensure that the spirit of unity and democracy prevail.
Addressing these issues and building a free and peaceful future for the Libyan people will require close
collaboration between the government and Libya’s many diverse communities. Consequently, the government must
improve accountability, transparency, and public engagement to ensure it has the trust and legitimacy to lead the
nation forward in the spirit of unity and compromise.
UPCOMING EVENTS
June 2012 -
Late 2013 -
GRANTS SUMMARY
Scheduled first round of elections for a National Council to replace the NTC and select a
Constitutional Committee to draft a new constitution
New constitution ratified by the public and elections scheduled for a permanent
government
Since June 2011, USAID/OTI, through its implementing partners Chemonics, Development Alternatives
International, and Mercy Corps, has cleared 36 activities totaling $1,399,228. Funding breaks down by sector as
illustrated in the chart below:
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Quarterly Report, Jan - Mar 2012

ACTIVITIES
Supporting Public Outreach in Tripoli – In March, the Tripoli
Free Media Center officially opened its doors to civil society
organizations and media outlets. The Center’s objective is to
improve public communications to facilitate citizen awareness
and engage in political processes transforming Libya into a free
and democratic nation. The U.S. Ambassador, a delegation of
U.S. Congressmen led by David Drier and David Price, officials
from the Government of Libya, and civil society leaders attended
the opening ceremony. The grant from USAID/OTI provides the
Center with technical assistance to facilitate trainings and
workshops as well as material assistance such as equipment and
a physical space for civil society and media groups to interact,
access resources, and develop outreach campaigns.
Preparing the Next Generation of Journalists in Benghazi –
In October, U.S. Special Envoy Chris Stevens and NTC Deputy
Chairman Abdel Hafiz Ghoga attended a certificate ceremony for
47 emerging Libyan journalists who completed a USAID-supported training on freedoms and limitations of media in
democracies. The workshop presented other countries’ laws, legal case studies, and experts’ experiences to help
participants think about which freedoms they want protected in Libya’s future constitution. Stevens and Ghoga
distributed certificates to a youthful and motivated group who provided journalism coverage during the revolution
through local print, radio, television, and the Internet. The workshop was facilitated by an international journalist and
featured guest speakers from both Libya and abroad, including NTC members, a Reuter’s journalist, and a Libyan
journalist who spoke about his experience writing before the revolution and his current perspective following his
recent release from prison. This activity brought together individuals to form an associated group in an effort to
promote an independent Libyan media.
Educating the Libyan Public about the Roadmap to
Democracy – Since November, USAID/OTI has partnered with
youth organization H2O to raise public awareness about the
transitional government’s roadmap to democracy in Libya. The
group incorporates graphics into outreach materials that concisely
explain the transition process with T-shirts, billboards, and
pamphlets supported by USAID/OTI. To support the group’s
outreach, USAID/OTI provided a strategic communications expert to
help the organization develop an effective outreach plan for public
messaging. In addition to producing the materials, dozens of young
volunteers from H2O canvassed citizens on the streets to educate
them about the government’s transition plan.
Libyans Prepare to Draft the Country’s First Constitution in
Nearly 50 Years – In December, USAID/OTI partnered with local
women’s organization Attawasul to host a three-day constitution-
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Members of the U.S. Congress attended the
Free Media Center opening in Tripoli.
Women from H2O explain the transition process
to students.
making workshop to begin a dialogue between Libyan groups about the issues the nation will face in putting
together the first constitution the country has seen in nearly 50 years. Representatives from government, civil
society, and the media attended the workshop both to learn about constitution making with experts from the U.S.
Institute for Peace (USIP) and to begin discussing how the Libyan public will feed into a constitution-making
process that is participatory, inclusive, and transparent in order to ultimately generate the support needed to
achieve ratification.
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Quarterly Report, Jan - Mar 2012

CONTACT INFORMATION
Shane Perkinson
Program Manager
OTI Asia & Middle East
Tel: (202) 712-0817
E-mail: sperkinson@usaid.gov
Civil Society Goes Public for the First Time – Through a grant to Mercy
Corps and in coordination with the NTC Executive Office of Culture and Civil
Society, USAID/OTI helped a local organization, Hamzat Wasl, establish a Civil
Society Resource and Learning Center in Benghazi. In October, USAID/OTI
helped celebrate the grand opening of the center with a small grant to fund
materials and services for a full day of events, including an open house for civil
society representatives in the morning, a ribbon cutting ceremony and
reception, a panel discussion, networking activities, and a formal introduction to
the services offered by the Center. Attendees included representatives from the
U.S. Mission to Libya, the NTC, international non-governmental organization
stakeholders, and more than 30 civil society organizations based in and around
Benghazi, the birthplace of the February 17 revolution. The event generated
attention for the Center and gave a broad cross section of Libyan civil society
the opportunity to make connections, recruit members, identify opportunities for
collaboration, and learn about the ways that organizations can contribute to
Libya’s changing political and cultural landscape. For nascent organizations,
the event provided an opportunity to explore resources at the Center that may
prove essential for official registration, adoption of governing principles and a
statement of mission, as well as building management capacity and
sustainability.
PROGRAM EVALUATION
In January, USAID/OTI held a strategic review session with Washington, D.C.-
and Libyan-based staff from OTI and Chemonics, the current implementing
partner for the LTI. The review session provided an opportunity to analyze the
political situation and helped program staff identify the most critical needs to
support the Libyan transition. During the multi-day meeting, USAID/OTI further
developed the previously outlined program objectives to ensure the Libyan
people have effective support for the transition.
Additionally, USAID/OTI and Chemonics have developed a monitoring and
evaluation manual to ensure that best practices in program appraisal are
applied in each activity undertaken. Examples of monitoring and evaluation
tools over the program’s diverse set of activities include documenting events,
interviewing recipients of trainings, surveying workshop participants, and
conducting regular site visits.
In May, USAID/OTI and Chemonics will send Washington, D.C.-based staff to
Libya to evaluate the management systems of the program and ensure
operations and communications are effective and efficient. This management
review is one tool USAID/OTI uses to ensure the program realizes maximum
impact with the limited resources available.
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Quarterly Report, Jan - Mar 2012