Written by: Intissar K. Rajabany, Team Leader
In Libya, civil society organisations play a vital role in responding to community needs. Yet in recent years, many have operated under increasing pressure, navigating regulatory uncertainty, institutional fragmentation and limited structured engagement with public institutions.
While organisations remained active and committed, they were often working in isolation: disconnected from each other, from decision-makers, and from the systems shaping public life.
It was within this context that Linataawan Phase II (EU for Civil Society in Libya) was implemented. Funded by the European Union and led by the British Council Libya in partnership with Acted and VNG International, the programme focused not only on strengthening technical skills, but on enabling structured dialogue, coordination and collective capability across Libya’s civil society ecosystem.
Across Libya, Resource Centres were expanded and strengthened, alongside a virtual Resource Centre connecting organisations across regions. These became neutral spaces for exchange, helping organisations collaborate across cities, themes and identities, and reducing fragmentation.
Through tailored capacity-strengthening processes, 26 organisations were supported, selected from 75 applicants. Eleven were awarded grants to implement inclusive, community-led initiatives spanning youth empowerment, women’s leadership, creativity, technology, environmental sustainability and mental health.
But the most visible shift was in how participants approached their work.
During Thinking and Working Strategically training sessions, many participants began re-examining how they design and frame their initiatives. Aisha Alnahdi from Albirr & Al-Taqwa described the experience as transformative. Instead of trying to “solve everything at once,” she explained, the problem tree methodology helped her organisation focus on root causes and realistic solutions. “Being able to immediately apply this learning to our proposals and identify weak points made the experience especially valuable,” she said. “The practical element was truly useful.”
For Mohamed Bartah, a young activist from Zliten City who develops proposals within his organisation, the shift was equally practical. The training strengthened not only his technical writing skills, but his approach to stakeholder engagement and risk awareness. As he reflected, it enabled him to “better structure proposals, engage stakeholders more effectively, and apply the ‘do no harm’ approach to ensure smooth project implementation.”
These shifts in thinking translated into stronger engagement at local level. In multi-stakeholder dialogue sessions bringing together civil society representatives, municipalities and service providers, participants who had previously engaged informally were able to present evidence-based positions grounded in community data. Conversations moved away from reactive advocacy towards structured, solution-focused dialogue.
Youth engagement was central to this transformation. By the end of Phase II, 497 young people – 208 women and 289 men – had meaningfully engaged in Linataawan Youth Activities across Tobruk, Albayda, Tripoli and Sebha.
For many, the change began internally.
One young participant from Tripoli recalled arriving at the onboarding event unsure of her voice. “On the first day, I was afraid to speak up with my team,” she said. Through group work and practical exercises, that hesitation shifted into confidence. By the end of the training, she was presenting her team’s problem analysis to guests and stakeholders. “This experience really helped me believe in my voice and my ability to contribute.”
Another participant described the sense of belonging created through collaborative activities, even amid daily challenges. The discussions and teamwork, she explained, helped her feel engaged and valued, and better able to think clearly about the issues affecting her community and how to address them together.
In Benghazi, a young participant reflected on a moment of personal clarity during an identity-mapping exercise. It was, she said, “a mind-blowing moment” – the first time she had deeply reflected on who she was and what mattered to her, and how that connected to her role in her community.
These personal shifts were not isolated experiences. Through mentorship and seed funding, young participants developed Community Action Projects grounded in research and local realities. What began as individual civic actions evolved into coordinated initiatives linked to wider civil society platforms, strengthening collective impact.
The programme also reinforced cooperation between civil society organisations, municipalities and the private sector. Fifteen municipalities were identified for engagement, and private-sector mapping provided insight into regional constraints and opportunities. Structured matchmaking activities at Resource Centres created space for dialogue between organisations and business entities, resulting in ten signed Memoranda of Understanding – an important step in building trust and advancing inclusive local development.
One of the clearest lessons from Linataawan Phase II is that resilient civic ecosystems are built through relationships, not only skills. Capacity-building is most effective when paired with safe convening spaces, long-term accompaniment and trust-building.
In complex contexts such as Libya, progress often becomes visible first in confidence, posture and behaviour before it appears in formal outcomes.
With its long-term presence in Libya, trusted convening role and deep contextual understanding, the British Council was uniquely positioned to facilitate this work – combining cultural relations expertise, safeguarding standards and institutional partnership to create safe, neutral spaces for dialogue in a complex environment.
As Linataawan Phase II concludes, its legacy extends beyond strengthened capacities or signed agreements. It is reflected in the confidence of young leaders stepping into public dialogue, in organisations engaging institutions with evidence and strategy, and in relationships that did not exist before. In fragile contexts, sustainable change begins with trust – and Linataawan has helped lay the foundations for more resilient, inclusive civic engagement across Libya.