On Sunday, the city of Benghazi in eastern Libya hosted the second edition of the “Libyan-American Development and Reconstruction Forum,” in the presence of Balqasim Haftar, Director General of the Libya Development and Reconstruction Fund, the Chairman and members of the Libyan-American Business Council, and representatives of a number of United States companies.
The forum discussed opportunities for American expertise to enter a number of development sectors, and to build partnerships with national institutions and cadres, in light of the volume of work being implemented and intended to be completed in Benghazi and various Libyan cities.
During the forum, Al-Balassem stressed “the importance of moving from the stage of presenting opportunities to actual implementation, and working to transform the proposed areas of cooperation into concrete programs and projects that contribute to developing services, transferring expertise, and building national capabilities.”
This second edition of the forum reflects the Fund’s orientation towards “opening broader paths for international partnerships and benefiting from specialized expertise to support the requirements of the next stage of development and reconstruction in Libya.”
In a related context, the Libya Development and Reconstruction Fund launched a competitive global initiative for urban planning under the name “Greater Benghazi,” as part of the process of preparing the comprehensive plan for the city and its future vision until 2050.
Balqasim inaugurated the work of the initiative in the presence of representatives of a number of companies, institutions and national and international consulting offices, in addition to a group of engineers, experts and specialists, and with the participation of the commercial attaché of the Italian Embassy in Libya.
According to the Fund, the initiative aims to “prepare an integrated vision for urban expansion and infrastructure development, benefiting from international expertise and standards in the fields of urban planning, smart cities, and sustainability.”
The activities included discussion sessions accompanied by presentations on the proposed plans and visions for Greater Benghazi, and a review of a number of international experiences in the field of urban planning. This step comes within the framework of the Fund’s direction towards adopting long-term planning that keeps pace with the urban and economic growth of the city of Benghazi, and lays integrated foundations for its development until 2050.
Last June, Al-Qasim Haftar met at the headquarters of the US State Department in Washington, DC, with Massad Boulos, the US President’s senior advisor for Arab and African affairs, and a number of high-level officials in the ministry.
According to the Reconstruction Fund, the two sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation between Libya and the United States in the fields of development and reconstruction. They reviewed the strategic projects implemented by the Fund, and discussed opportunities to expand the partnership with American institutions and expertise, in a way that supports development efforts and enhances stability in various parts of the country.
Al-Qasim Haftar and a Libyan delegation previously participated, in April 2025, in the work of the “Libyan-American Forum for Development and Reconstruction” in its first edition, which was held in Washington, DC, in the presence of more than 90 American companies and institutions, and a number of officials concerned with African and Middle Eastern affairs.
It is noteworthy that the US State Department warned its citizens, on Saturday, against traveling to Libya, classifying the country as the fourth and highest risk level due to threats of crime, terrorism, and unrest.
