Tunis Hosts Mediterranean Conference to Support Sustainable Development in Libya

Destroyed and damaged buildings are seen in Sabri, a central Benghazi district, Libya, (File Photo: Reuters)
Destroyed and damaged buildings are seen in Sabri, a central Benghazi district, Libya, (File Photo: Reuters)
TT
20

Tunis Hosts Mediterranean Conference to Support Sustainable Development in Libya

Destroyed and damaged buildings are seen in Sabri, a central Benghazi district, Libya, (File Photo: Reuters)
Destroyed and damaged buildings are seen in Sabri, a central Benghazi district, Libya, (File Photo: Reuters)

An international conference on sustainable development in Libya kicked off Monday in the Tunisian capital with the participation of experts from Mediterranean countries, France and Malaysia.

The three-day conference is expected to discuss the importance of the private sector to achieve the goals of sustainable development 2030, a member of the High Commission for Sustainable Development at the Libyan National Planning Council, Yaseen Abu Saryoul, told the Tunisian news agency.

“This conference is the first of its kind, and it discusses the role of the private sector in achieving sustainable development goals in Tunisia and Libya. It also addresses significant topics, such as the importance of applied scientific research, and organizing working sessions between the private sector and the public sector, as well as a forum for young entrepreneurs,” he said.

Abu Saryoul noted that the conference also highlights the role of the private sector in innovative projects, and digital transformation programs through effective communication with experts, academics, and public sector institutions.

The International Mediterranean Conference on the Role of the Private Sector in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Libya was initiated by the Libyan National Planning Council with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

It is attended by experts from the universities of Sebha in Libya and Al Munstir in Tunisia, in addition to a number of ministry representatives and the Libyan Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture.

Analysts expect the conference to assist Libya in reconstruction efforts, almost 10 years since the uprising that ousted long-time leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Among other things, the conference will discuss the private sector and sustainable development, the dimensions of sustainable development, the private sector and investment in information networks and communications, the applicable mechanisms of enhancing inter-trade, the legislative reform and finally the investment by the private sector on green energy.



Israeli Forces Have Completed Encirclement of Gaza’s Rafah, Military Says

 Displaced Palestinians flee from east to west of Gaza City after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders in the area, Friday April 11, 2025. (AP)
Displaced Palestinians flee from east to west of Gaza City after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders in the area, Friday April 11, 2025. (AP)
TT
20

Israeli Forces Have Completed Encirclement of Gaza’s Rafah, Military Says

 Displaced Palestinians flee from east to west of Gaza City after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders in the area, Friday April 11, 2025. (AP)
Displaced Palestinians flee from east to west of Gaza City after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders in the area, Friday April 11, 2025. (AP)

Israeli forces have completed the encirclement of Gaza's Rafah, the military said on Saturday, part of an announced plan to seize more areas of the enclave, accompanied by large-scale evacuations of the population.

The military has issued repeated evacuation warnings to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians across Rafah since it resumed operations in Gaza on March 18, forcing them into a diminishing space limited by the sea.

Israel said on April 2 that troops had begun seizing an area it called the Morag Axis, a reference to a former Israeli settlement once located between the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have since fled Rafah, a 60 square km area that borders Egypt to the south.

"Over the past 24 hours, the 36th Division's troops completed the establishment of the Morag route, separating Rafah and Khan Younis," the military said on Saturday.

The Israeli offensive in Gaza was launched after Palestinian group Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

More than 50,000 Palestinians have since been killed in the offensive, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave. Most of the population has been displaced and much of Gaza is in ruins.

Israel restarted the offensive in March after effectively abandoning a ceasefire in place since January. The campaign will continue, it says, until the remaining 59 hostages are freed and Hamas is stamped out of Gaza.

Hamas says it will free hostages only as part of a deal that will end the war and has rejected demands to lay down its arms. A Hamas delegation was expected in Cairo over the weekend to discuss new truce proposals, according to a source in the group.