A/HRC/34/42 I. Introduction 1. On 27 March 2015, the Human Rights Council adopted its resolution 28/30, in which it requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to dispatch a mission to investigate violations and abuses of international human rights law committed in Libya since the beginning of 2014. The report on the investigation was issued on 15 February 2016 (A/HRC/31/47). 2. The Council subsequently adopted its resolution 31/27, in which it requested the High Commissioner to present a written report to the Council, including on the effectiveness of technical assistance and capacity-building measures received by the Government of Libya, and an assessment of further technical support or assistance needed to implement the resolution and the recommendations contained in the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the investigation by the Office on Libya to address the situation of human rights in Libya. 3. The present report was prepared in cooperation with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). OHCHR continues to provide support to the human rights mandate of UNSMIL. The Director of the UNSMIL Human Rights, Transitional Justice and Rule of Law Division represents the High Commissioner in Libya. II. Context 4. Following the deterioration in the security and political situation in 2014, the Libyan Political Agreement was signed and a Presidency Council headed by Prime Minister Serraj was established on 17 December 2015. Under the Agreement, the Presidency Council was tasked with forming a Government of National Accord, to be endorsed by the House of Representatives elected in 2014. In its resolution 2259 (2015), the Security Council endorsed the Agreement and the Government of National Accord as the internationally recognized Government of Libya and called for official contact with parallel institutions outside the framework of the Agreement to be ended. Various actors in Libya, including powerful armed groups, opposed the Agreement and by the end of 2016 the House of Representatives had not endorsed the Government of National Accord proposed by the Presidency Council. In March 2016, the Presidency Council moved to Tripoli and, in response to the continuing legislative vacuum, delegated ministerial responsibilities to a caretaker Government headed by Prime Minister Serraj. However, the Presidency Council remained unable to take full control of governmental functions or implement many of the provisions of the Agreement, including its security, human rights, transitional justice and rule of law provisions. Armed groups across the country remained the most powerful actors on the ground, contributing to insecurity and abuses of human rights. The economic situation and the provision of public services deteriorated, with frequent power cuts and cash shortages, while common crimes and acts of political violence appeared to increase. 5. The elected Constitution Drafting Assembly finalized a draft constitution in April 2016. An ongoing dispute over whether the Assembly adopted the draft with a sufficient number of votes has hindered progress towards its approval by way of a national referendum. 6. Throughout 2016, Operation Dignity forces (consisting of Libyan National Army forces and other armed groups led by General Khalifa Haftar) continued to fight against the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council and groups pledging allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Benghazi, reducing the territory controlled by the 3