Expression of Interest for Libyan NGOs and CSOs Selection of partner organisation for Interpeace Consultancy

Location: Libya

Application closing: 20 February 2022

Interpeace

Interpeace is an international organization for peacebuilding. With over 25 years of experience, it has implemented a broad range of peacebuilding programmes in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Interpeace was officially recognized as an international entity by the Swiss Federal Council in 2018.

Interpeace tailors its approach to each society and ensures that its work is locally designed and driven. Through local partners and its own local teams, it jointly develops peacebuilding programmes based on extensive consultation and research. Interpeace helps establish processes of change that promote sustainable peace, social cohesion, and resilience. The organization’s work is designed to connect and promote understanding between local communities, civil society, governments, and the international community. Interpeace also assists the international community – especially the United Nations – to play a more effective role in peacebuilding, based on Interpeace’s expertise in field-based work at grassroots level. Interpeace achieves this primarily by contributing innovative thought leadership and fresh insights to contemporary peacebuilding policy. It also assists the international community through ‘peace responsiveness’ work, in which Interpeace provides advice and practical support to other international organizations (especially those in the security, development, and humanitarian aid sectors), enabling them to adapt their work systemically to simultaneously address conflict dynamics and strengthen peace dynamics. Interpeace is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has offices around the world.

General context

Libya has yet to find a suitable formula to build peace and social cohesion. The country’s transition has been dogged by insecurity and instability, and the capricious disposition of militias towards anarchy. Libya has witnessed some very promising political developments during 2021. This political momentum was encouraged by the international community with many countries insisting on the importance of putting an end to the conflict by starting an inclusive political process. However, this is not without its challenges.

Interpeace’s work in Libya

Interpeace’s work in Libya began in 2011. Its strategy has focused on the development of a bottom-up infrastructure for peace. Throughout the years, opportunities for bottom-up influencing of central actors and national-level dialogue processes have been limited. Libya has witnessed some very promising developments starting at the end of 2020, but this is not without its challenges: both at the central and local levels. In parallel to the national process and political developments, there is a need to strengthen social cohesion, mutual understanding, and the culture of dialogue, all of which have deeply been impacted by many years of violent conflict.

Following a ‘peace mapping’ initiative focused on understanding of the Libyan community resilience and coping mechanisms to deal with conflict, Interpeace distilled some of the factors that allowed towns to remain relatively peaceful during violent conflict. Stability remains fragile everywhere in the country, and it is vulnerable to external factors and changes in the environment: indeed, the breakdown of trust over the last ten years has deteriorated the social fabric of society. Building on this, Interpeace sought to strengthen the resilience mechanisms identified in the previous work in key areas of Libya. This was done by building a network of change agents and strengthening their capacity for community resilience and a culture of peaceful conflict resolution through the establishment of inclusive dialogue spaces around local priorities for peace.

Interpeace has worked with the network of change agents across 18 communities in Libya to work on community dialogue sessions.

Call for expression of interest

Following the final evaluation of our programme, and due to new emerging opportunities in the country, Interpeace is seeking a local partner with which to collaborate on the future of the programme.

The precise definition of activities will be done in partnership with the selected organization. The objectives of Interpeace’s will be community resilience and reconciliation, both at local and national levels. Interpeace seeks to work in West, East and South Libya, and will continue working with change agents where they are present.

Duration

The next phase of the programme will go until end of 2022. However, Interpeace is interested in building a long-term partnership in Libya and continue building and implementing the programme with the selected partner.

Priorities for partners

• Participate with Interpeace in reflections on Libya programme activities and strategy for initiatives in the country;
• Support fundraising efforts;
• Implement activities as agreed upon with Interpeace;
• Support efforts to engage national stakeholders;
• Manage, with Interpeace, the network of change agents across the country.