Nihad Maiteeq: Participation is not a privilege, but a responsibility to build trust and local peace

Tripoli, Libya — For over a decade, Nihad Omar Maiteeg has worked to build peace in communities affected by conflict, convinced that dialogue is the shortest path toward stability. She defines herself as a collective action coordinator that fosters trust between people and institutions, and as an advocate for women’s participation in local decision-making. Since 2014, she has participated in various national dialogues during a critical period of transformation in Libya, choosing to make dialogue a method of work and rapprochement between communities.

Nihad studied at the University of Benghazi before pursuing her postgraduate studies in Tripoli, where she also taught media at the academic level alongside her community engagement. In 2014, she joined the Independent Group for Conflict Resolution, becoming one of the first Libyan women to take part in local mediation efforts. Over time, she became a trusted voice in community discussions across different cities, focusing on everyday issues such as education, services, and local governance.

At the time, Libyan women’s participation in such initiatives was rare, but she believed that their absence deprived dialogue of its human and social dimension. “Women make discussions more grounded,” she says, “because they see the direct impact on people’s daily lives.”

From this commitment emerged the initiative “For You, Libya” (FYL), which Nihad co-founded with a group of women civil activists. The initiative serves as a platform connecting women leaders in local governance and community work, with the aim of bringing efforts together and strengthening women’s presence in decision-making spaces. It focuses on building a network of support and communication among women across cities, working through partnerships with municipalities and local committees, and encouraging knowledge exchange and joint initiatives that contribute to community development.

Over the years, FYL has organized a series of training sessions on leadership, dialogue management, and the implementation of laws related to political participation. These efforts have helped many women become active participants in public life. Nihad believes that building peace is a long process that requires strengthening monitoring and evaluation tools within local institutions. For this reason, she seeks to train a new generation of young leaders in organization, initiative design, and teamwork.

During her participation in the Libyan political dialogue from 2014 to 2015, Nihad was one of two women among eighteen signatories to the political agreement. She said: “At a time when distrust and hesitation dominated the situation, I chose to be present and speak for women who were not at the table. I did not claim to represent all Libyan women, but carrying the voices of hundreds, perhaps thousands, genuinely calling for peace was enough to mark a beginning.”

As a result of that phase, a provision was included establishing a Women’s Empowerment Unit within the government's structure, emerging from the agreement. When its implementation was delayed, Nihad took the initiative to launch an alternative plan by creating Women’s Support and Empowerment Offices within ministries in 2018. She explains, “We decided to act ourselves. We launched the project in Tripoli, attended by the Ministers of Education and Labour, and the Deputy Minister of Health. We insisted that these offices report directly to the ministers to ensure their impact. Today, this project belongs to all Libyan women; it was born out of their need to be part of decision-making within state institutions.”

With the support of UN Women, Nihad transformed her ideas into tangible initiatives. Through her participation in the organization’s programmes and forums, she gained new tools and perspectives that helped her expand her local impact. “These programmes helped me connect my experience to the broader framework of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda,” she says, “and to develop practical tools that strengthen communication between municipalities and communities, while broadening women’s participation in local governance.”

For Nihad, women’s involvement in conflict management is not about competing with men, but about complementing roles across all segments of society. She notes that Libyan women, especially in smaller towns, have led meaningful examples of reconciliation and community problem-solving using simple yet effective means.

She believes that this balanced understanding makes women’s participation a cornerstone of local peacebuilding, aligning with the principles of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda (1325).

Through her work, Nihad seeks to promote a renewed awareness of women’s role in building peace at the local level. In her view, women’s participation is not a privilege but a necessity to ensure balance in decision-making. She rejects limiting women’s roles to symbolic or advisory positions, affirming that empowerment begins with education, work, and active participation in public life.

Through FYL Nihad continues to train female municipal staff on improving community engagement and coordination between municipalities and civil society organizations. These efforts have led to local initiatives that resolved small service-related disputes and gradually rebuilt trust between citizens and local authorities.

In much of her work, Nihad relies on UN Women’s data and reports on women’s political participation and local leadership, which she describes as “a realistic roadmap that can guide every initiative.”

When asked what keeps her motivated, she replies: “I believe that dialogue is never lost. Its impact may take time, but it always leaves a mark.”

Each time her story is told, it becomes clear that peace in Libya is not achieved through political agreements alone, but through the steady efforts of women who, thread by thread, weave a more just and peaceful reality, step by step, for a nation that has room for everyone.