Participant reading through the conference program

A panel of experts during the Libya Today conference.

Ms. Oissila Saadia, Director of Institut de recherche sur le Maghreb contemporain (IRMC)

Participant listening to the welcoming remarks during the conference

Her Excellency the Ambassador Brigitte Curmi, French Ambassador to Libya

Her Excellency the Ambassador Bettina Muscheidt, Ambassador of the European Union to Libya

Claudia Gazzini, International Crisis Group

Participants during the Libya Today conference

Prof. Ali Abdullatif Ahmida, University of New England

Jalel Harchaoui, Institut Français de Géopolitique

The conference “Libya Today: Society, Politics and Space” was held from 12-13 July 2018 at the National Library in Tunis and brought together a vast array of historical and socio-political contributions on issues of statehood, territoriality, society and identity with regards to Libya.

As the first conference of its kind focusing on Libya alone, the symposium in Tunis established the foundation for a stronger academic cooperation among Libyan scholars and universities as well as between Libyans and renowned international experts and research institutions. The academic papers and arguments presented during the conference touched upon a variety of pressing issues in the conflict-torn country.

In an effort to build a larger academic network that has the power to protect and guide a political process of reconciliation and peacebuilding, the conference enabled scholars from different backgrounds to exchange their views and perspectives in a constructive and fact-based environment and discuss the future of Libya.

As the future of the country largely depends on the ability of its youth to open up to the world and overcome current socio-political boundaries, the roundtable for young researchers on Libya on the second day of the conference provided a great opportunity to support today’s students and connect the academic elite of today with the leadership of tomorrow.