Online platform and code of conduct to counter misinformation for Libya elections

The workshop gathered nine participants (4 women and 5 men), including representatives from the High National Election Commission (HNEC), General Authority for Monitoring of Media Content (GAMMC), Ministry of Interior, Aswat Media Network, Nawarni, and the Libyan Foundation for Investigative Journalism. One participant from eastern Libya joined online. The sessions were led by a digital communication expert and a representative from International IDEA, who provided expert input and facilitated discussions.

The workshop served as a platform to present the final draft of the code of conduct for using digital spaces during local elections. Participants also worked on developing a plan for managing the Facebook page Filter, which will act as an online hub for pre-debunking and countering misinformation and disinformation related to the electoral process in Libya. The next steps include submitting the code of conduct to the HNEC for dissemination to key stakeholders, including political entities, candidates, media outlets, and civil society organizations involved in the elections. The code of conduct is grounded in Libya's legal framework for local elections and incorporates international best practices.

The Filter Facebook page will be managed by HNEC with support from the core group. A weekly publication schedule on local elections and a digital education plan are currently being developed and implemented. The upcoming phases will involve finalizing a lexicon of digital concepts related to the information environment in elections, which will serve as a valuable resource for various stakeholders involved in the electoral process in Libya.

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This workshop is part of a project that aims to protect electoral processes by countering misleading and malign influencing practices and learning from evolving discourse and engagement in six different focus countries. The project is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by International IDEA.