The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced on Monday, 22nd December, the approval of a 5.8-million-US-dollar project, financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), aimed at tackling environmental degradation and advancing sustainable development in Libya’s Ubari Lakes basin.
The five-year initiative, to be implemented in collaboration with Libya’s Ministry of Environment, will prioritise reversing land degradation, protecting biodiversity and stimulating sustainable economic activity. It will also support preparations for the proposed Ubari Lakes National Park, spanning roughly 100,000 hectares, alongside the rehabilitation of 225 hectares of wetlands and oases.
According to UNDP, the project is expected to benefit about 2,250 people, with women accounting for half of the beneficiaries, and to generate approximately 700 new jobs in ecotourism and sustainable agriculture. The programme aligns nature-based solutions with local cultural practices, reinforcing Libya’s climate obligations under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
