National Water Security Strategy 2025-2050.

The National Water Security Strategy 2025–2050 provides a comprehensive roadmap for managing Libya’s water resources, ensuring sustainable and reliable access under normal and emergency conditions. It aligns with national legislation, international standards such as those of the World Health Organization (WHO), and Libya’s broader development vision for prosperity and sustainability. Strategic objectives are set out as follows (i) reforming the legal and institutional framework: modernize the sector by clarifying roles and responsibilities, ensuring institutional sustainability, enhancing accountability, and strengthening public trust.; (ii) restoring the balance between water supply and demand: ensure sustainable water availability to meet Libya’s health, economic, agricultural, and environmental needs by 2050; (iii) achieving financial sustainability: balance full cost recovery with government support for critical infrastructure (including the great man-made river, desalination plants, and treated water) while protecting vulnerable populations; (iv) ensuring fair and transparent regulation: establish an independent regulatory authority to monitor and report on the performance and costs of water and sanitation services; (v) providing effective water and sanitation services: achieve full municipal coverage with continuous, high-quality supply while minimizing water loss; (vi) reducing non-revenue water (NRW): limit water loss from leaks and illegal use to 25% by 2050; (vii) safely managing and treating wastewater: protect the environment and maximize the supply of treated water for reuse; (viii) increasing the contribution of non-conventional water resources: promote local reuse, water harvesting, and collection, while updating laws and regulations for groundwater and other non-traditional water sources; (ix) improving energy efficiency and expanding renewable energy use: reduce and rationalize energy consumption and increase reliance on renewable energy in water sector operations; (x) strengthening sector governance and institutional development: enhance accountability, transparency, and public trust through comprehensive legal and institutional reforms; (xi) promoting innovation and private sector engagement: introduce modern technology, facilitate knowledge transfer, and involve the private sector to improve water management and deliver efficient, high-quality services; (xii) building resilience and addressing climate change: integrate climate data and adaptation measures into water sector planning, strategy, and management.
The Strategy emphasizes public awareness, education, and community engagement to encourage responsible water use and integrates water management into broader development goals, including food security, energy supply, climate adaptation, health, and economic stability. This Strategy is built on 4 main pillars, summarized as follows (1) Water Resources and Supply: Restoring the balance between available and sustainable water supplies and demand to comprehensively meet Libya’s health, development, and economic needs, achieve sustainable water security, and promote goals such as Integrated Water Resources Management, energy efficiency and renewable energy, innovation and private sector engagement, the Water-Energy-Food-Environment nexus, and climate change adaptatio; (2) Financial and Economic Aspects: ensuring the financial sustainability of water sector operations by balancing full cost recovery with continued government investment in critical infrastructure, while protecting vulnerable groups to safeguard water security; (3) Social Aspects: ensuring the fair and transparent organization and distribution of water and sanitation services; (4) Legal and Institutional Framework; reforming the legislative, legal, and institutional frameworks to modernize the sector, clarify roles and responsibilities, ensure institutional sustainability, enhance accountability, and increase public trust.
Water security is a national priority impacting social, economic, environmental, and political stability. Its effective management requires coordinated efforts among government bodies, the private sector, civil society, and international experts, leveraging global best practices and local research. By addressing challenges such as water scarcity and climate change, the Strategy focuses on ensuring availability, safe use, and resilience, turning potential threats into opportunities for sustainable socio-economic development. The strategic message of water security is multifaceted and can be summarized as follows (i) Availability – Ensuring sufficient water in adequate quality and in a sustainable manner; (ii) Accessibility – Guaranteeing that water is accessible to everyone; (iii) Safe Use – Using water in a way that is '; safe for health and the environment; (iv) Integration – Incorporating water management into broader development goals related to food security, health, and economic stability; (iv) Resilience – Building the capacity to withstand and adapt to climate change, disasters, and extreme climate fluctuations.