The United Nations announced on Monday that Libya had lost the right to vote in the United Nations General Assembly, due to a delay in paying its membership fees.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres said that a total of seven countries have lost the right to vote. These are: Libya, Iran, Sudan, Niger, Central African Republic, Congo and Zimbabwe
Guterres explained that there are a further three countries with unpaid debts, but these are due to circumstances beyond their control and are benefiting from permission to continue voting. These are Comoros, Sao Tome-Principe, and Somalia.
On Monday, Guterres officially named Slovakian diplomat, Jan Kubis as his special envoy for Libya and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
In a statement, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, “Kubis will take up his post in early February. Acting special representative Stephanie Williams of the United States will stay on through January to ensure a smooth transfer of responsibilities.”