The leadership of the Libyan National Audit Bureau in Tripoli and El Baida have met in Tunis, with the attendance of officials from the World Bank and UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
UNSMIL said DSRSG Stephanie Koury, on behalf of SRSG Hanna Tetteh, participated in a meeting in Tunis between the leadership of the National Audit Bureau in Tripoli and the National Audit Bureau in El Baida, with the attendance of officials from the specialised committees of the House of Representatives and High Council of State as well as the World Bank.
The National Audit Bureau has been split since 2014.
The meeting resulted in an important breakthrough, as all parties agreed on concrete steps toward the technical unification of the National Audit Bureau’s work plan and annual report, UNSMIL stated.
They also committed to harmonising the organisational structures of the two branches—an essential move toward national institutional coherence. The two branches will establish a joint technical committee to develop an implementation plan for these steps, the Mission noted out.
DSRSG Koury highly commended this agreement and emphasised that the unification of the Audit Bureau is not merely a technical undertaking but a strategic imperative to bolster economic and financial governance in Libya, particularly in light of the country’s fragile financial situation and rampant corruption.
DSRSG Koury reiterated that oversight institutions must be protected from political interference and the influence of armed actors in order to operate effectively. A unified Audit Bureau must uphold the principles of integrity, independence, transparency and accountability to ensure Libya’s public resources are safeguarded and directed toward the well-being of all Libyan people —including youth, women, and future generations—rather than being diverted for personal gain or narrow political agendas.