TRIPOLI, May 2 (Xinhua) -- A group of Libyan female officials and lawmakers has held a meeting to advocate greater women's representation in the country's future parliament, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said on Tuesday.
The meeting, attended by 20 female members of the Libyan High Council of State and the House of Representatives (parliament), was held on Sunday under the auspices of the UNSMIL, the UN mission said in a statement.
The UNSMIL technical experts outlined different mechanisms for ensuring greater women's representation in political leadership and presented lessons learned from other countries. The participants then analyzed the pros and cons of the various approaches in the Libyan context, the statement said.
The participants agreed to advocate for allocating the majority of seats through a proportional representation system with candidates presented in lists with alternating women and men candidates.
Currently, women constitute around 15 percent and 16.5 percent of the High Council of State and House of Representatives, respectively, the UNSMIL said.
The newly published 13th Constitutional Amendment includes a temporary measure reserving 20 percent of seats in the House of Representatives for women in the upcoming elections and charged a committee with designating seats for women in the Senate, the UN mission added.
Libya failed to hold general elections in December 2021 as previously scheduled due to disagreements over election laws among the Libyan parties. ■