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Policy Guide: Libya 1 Policy Guide: Libya Policy Guide for: Doctors without Bor

Policy Guide: Libya 1 Policy Guide: Libya Policy Guide for: Doctors without Borders Libya 2 Policy Guide: Libya Table of Contents I. Introduction page 4 II. Facts and Statistics about Libya page 5 a. Climate b. Population/ Ethnic Make up c. Religion d. Government e. Language III. Society and Culture page 5 a. The People b. Family Life IV. Customs and Etiquette page 6 a. Dinning- At Homes b. Meeting/Greeting- Casual c. Meeting/Greeting- Business d. Business Meetings e. Negotiations- Business V. Useful Sayings page 8 VI. Conclusion page 9 VII. Works Cited page 10 I. Introduction Hello Doctors without Borders, This policy guide with help aide you and your team’s journey to Libya. I have outlines here for you some facts about Libya, how their government works, the main religion and ethnicity. These are just some facts to get you to know and recognize what your surrounding are going to be when you get there and what to expect. Included, is also some basic information on their average family life, language dinning etiquette, some simple meet and greet gestures and\ useful sayings 3 Policy Guide: Libya to get you started. This policy guide is here to help guide you and your transition into Libya’s culture. II. Facts and Statistics Libya’s capital is Tripoli. The climate along the coast is mostly Mediterranean and the inland climate is extremely dry desert. Libya has a population of 6,173,579. The Ethnic makeup of the country consists of Berber and Arab 97%, 3% other including Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians.) Berber are people originating from an area stretching from the Atlantic ocean to the Swia Oasis in Egypt and then from the Mediterranean Sea to the Niger River. The government is Jamahiriya which means a state of the masses, which 4 Policy Guide: Libya in theory, it would be governed by the populace through local councils. The main language and the official language spoken in Libya is Arabic. III. Society and Culture a. The People The Libyans, for the most part, consider themselves Arabs, there is a strong Berber influence there as well. This particular portion of the population takes up 98% of Libya. The population of foreign workers comes from mostly Egypt, Tunisia, and the Sudan. This makes up 20% of the population. Since 98% of Libyans are Arab, Muslim is the most commonly practiced religion. Ever since a Revolution in 1969 Islamic Law has banned alcoholic beverages. b. Family Life Family life has changed quite a bit recently, it is now more common for young couples to move out on their own. This is opposed to the recent times when it was most common to live with extended family in one house hold. One thing that hasn’t changed it the importance of Libyans to maintain good reputations for their families. Libya is known as a collective culture. This means that they focus particularly on the goals and needs of the group as a whole, other than focus on needs of each individual. IV. Customs and Etiquette a. Dinning- At Home When out casually dinning there are a few things to things about. Everywhere you go being on time is always good, being late however is not necessarily seen as rude as long as it is not over twenty minutes. When going out its always safe to just dress conservatively. There is a customs of taking shoes off at the door of someone’s home for a meal but that thinning out it is always best to check 5 Policy Guide: Libya beforehand. It is very respectful to greet the eldest first when in group settings. Any offers of tea or coffee should be accepted. Before meals is passed around a bowl of perfumed water, this is for everyone to dip three fingers into the bowl for a ritual cleansing. Eating is only for a right hand. There will always be more food than what is expected to be consumed by the guests, but when finished eating it is good to leave a little on the plate, it shows that the host has given their guest generosity and an abundance of food. b. Meeting and Greeting- Casual When getting someone it is always nice to greet them warmly with excitement, to show that you are happy to see them. Direct eye contact is important but should be intermittent and not a constant stare. If a man and woman are shaking hands the man must wait for the women to extend out her hand first. Most common greetings people say is ‘Aalaamu alaikum’ (Peace be with you) in which one responds ‘wa alaikum salam’ (and Peace be with you). These sayings are very popular in the Muslim culture. c. Meeting and Greeting- Business A handshake is used for the beginning and the end of a meeting. If meeting with a government official addressing them as ‘Your Excellency’ is suggested. First names are for people that ask to be called by their first name, which doesn’t happen often, titles are always expected to be said. d. Business Meetings When setting up a business meeting making it as far in advanced as possible is preferred and the meeting being confirmed a couple days in advanced. It is also always safe to always have an interrupter at meetings. Meetings should avoid being made around Ramadan since Muslims cannot eat or drink. Payers are from 6 Policy Guide: Libya 11:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. so it is best to avoid anything at that time. Always try to arrive on time, Libya is a very relationship driven culture so meetings tend to run longer when having more relaxed discussions at meetings. That being said a lot of business men have an ‘open door policy’ even during meetings. So when someone walks in it is polite to stop the meeting and give this new person the attention, its rude to rush someone to leave or to begin talking about the meeting before this new person exits the room. e. Negotiations- Business Because Libya is a collective culture their businesses are run the same way, although business are still hierarchical the highest person still makes the decisions but not until after gaining a group consensus after deliberating. Being collective also means that no one criticizes anyone publicly, this is considered extremely rude, causing business to ‘lose face.’ Libyans are known for being non- confrontational, so what happens in a consensus of a meeting may not actually be what everyone feels. When walking into a meeting be prepared to spend most of it haggling but just go with it because trying to rush a negotiation is interpreted as an insult. A negotiation may take up to several meetings to come to a conclusion, but keep in mind that high-pressure tactics will only back fire, Libyans can be deliberate and forceful negotiators. V. Useful Sayings English Arabic Hello as-salaam- goodbye ma'assalama thank you shokran please men fadlak (male), men fadlik (female) yes/no na'am/la my name isismi how much? bikam? 7 Policy Guide: Libya where is? fein? I don't understand ana la afham one, two, three, four, five wahid, ithinin, talatha, arba'a, khamisa VI. Conclusion I hope that you all find this Policy Guide for your business trip to Libya helpful. I hope that Global Context, Inc. and Doctors without Borders can and will continue to work together on all of its business needs and that you all have a safe trip. Thank you. 8 Policy Guide: Libya Citations "Libya - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette." Libya. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2015. "Libya Phrasebook - Useful Phrases for Libya." Libya Phrasebook - Useful Phrases for Libya. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. 9 uploads/Geographie/ policy-guide.pdf