The Security Council on Monday approved another “technical rollover” for the mandate of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) as council members could not find consensus on a substantive mandate renewal.
Resolution 2619, which was unanimously approved by the 15-member council, decides to extend the mandate of UNSMIL for three months, till April 30, 2022.
The resolution says UNSMIL should be led by a special envoy and recognizes the UN secretary-general’s responsibility to appoint a special envoy for Libya.
The previous special envoy, Jan Kubis, resigned in November 2021, one month before national elections were to be held. Although Kubis indicated his readiness to stay on as special envoy for a transitional period to ensure continuity, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres allowed him to stay as of Dec. 10, right before the planned national elections.
On Dec. 6, 2021, Guterres appointed Stephanie Williams of the United States as his special adviser on Libya, a position that does not need the approval of the Security Council. Although technically not a successor to Kubis, Williams was made to lead the work of the United Nations in Libya.