Elseddik Haftar and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

In any community, social security protects individuals and assists them to deal with real or threatening crises. It also helps to ensure decent living conditions for citizens, social peace and political stability. It also helps to consolidate cohabitation in an atmosphere of cohesion, reinforcing people’s sense of belonging to the community.

The living conditions in Libya prompted Dr Elseddik Khalifa Haftar to assess the real situation of Libyan society and identify the appropriate formulas to provide social security. To do this, he based himself on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights published in 1948, and more specifically on Article 22 of this convention, which stipulates (in its first of five points): “Everyone has the right to social security and to the satisfaction of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality” – by means of a national initiative and international cooperation, in accordance with the structure of a State and its resources.

In Dr Haftar’s opinion, the most important rights are those of the individual: not to be subjected to slavery or to free oneself from slavery if necessary, to choose or accept work without coercion, to receive a fair or equal wage, to have rational working hours, to carry out work in safe and healthy conditions, to form trade unions and be able to join them freely, to go on strike (as a means of objecting and expressing an opinion), and to have time for leisure. For its part, again according to Elseddik Haftar, the State has a duty to give individuals full access to social security – without being arbitrarily or unreasonably deprived of its coverage -; to allocate appropriate and equivalent assistance in the event of unemployment, illness or old age; to help families; to provide assistance to mothers and fathers, and to protect children from economic and social exploitation.

Dr Haftar also stresses the importance of Libyan citizens’ right to a decent standard of living. He defends their right to food – to prevent starvation – and their right to adequate housing and clean water. He also defends their right to health and protection against epidemic diseases, advocating easy access to hospitals and medical services and products. Elseddik Haftar also advocates the right to enjoy healthy working and environmental conditions, as well as the right to education, including free and mandatory primary education, and free secondary and higher education.

After 1969, legislation was enacted to provide social security and healthcare to vulnerable and marginalised groups in Libyan society, in line with international standards. These laws emphasised the separation of institutions in setting up the social security network, its implementation and the delivery of social services. However, social policy in Libya has simply been limited to a social security network providing services and assistance only to disabled people and widows, as well as to a certain category of people. And this inadequate social policy is the foundation on which the Libyan State relies to guarantee a minimum decent life for its citizens and foreign residents.

Therefore, given the shortcomings of this social policy, it is essential that Libya moves from the current social security networks to a comprehensive and unified social security system to address the limitations of this policy, the most important of which are: compensatory services offered to individuals as well as those affected by the market economy, albeit for a limited period of time – making it ineffective; it targets specific segments of society for a restricted period, thus taking on a subsidiary format; it lacks a comprehensive and sustainable development objective that can provide education, health, work and housing, thus enabling individuals to prosper and become productive forces. In this way, it needlessly drains public funds.

These are just a few ideas and proposals that can be used to improve the future of Libyan society, and more particularly its young people. These suggestions are subject to consultation with experienced and competent members of Libyan society.