Tripoli, Oct 4 (IANS): The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has announced that UN agencies in Libya had launched a year-long training programme for Libyan women on leadership skills.

"In September, the UN launched a training programme for 30 young women from across Libya aimed at improving their communication, leadership and advocacy skills as well as increasing their knowledge of elections, women's rights, human rights, and reconciliation," UNSMIL said on Tuesday in a statement.

The Ra'idat (female leaders) programme, which was led by UNSMIL and supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), and UN Women, started with a three-day in-person training session in the capital Tripoli, the statement said.

The programme will continue in October and then every other month, bringing together the same young women each time who come from different parts of Libya, from different cultural backgrounds and have different abilities, the statement added as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

"Libyan women often face obstacles in their efforts to engage in advocacy and politics at a decision-making level. The Ra'idat programme aims to support participants to build their skills and engage actively in their communities," said Georgette Gagnon, UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Libya.

Ra'idat is the first youth programme of its kind for the UN in Libya. It aims to enable people in Libya, particularly youth and women, to better exercise their rights in an inclusive, stable, democratic and reconciled society.