Second Libyan-American Development and Reconstruction Forum Held in Benghazi

The Fund for the Development and Reconstruction of Libya (FDRL), led by Director General Belgasem Haftar, hosted the second edition of the Libyan-American Development and Reconstruction Forum in Benghazi on Saturday, September 5, 2026, in partnership with the US-Libya Business Association (USLBA). The forum, attended by the Libyan-American Business Council leadership and representatives of American companies, explored partnerships in infrastructure and public works, energy and communications, health and education modernization, and economic diversification. Haftar urged participants to move 'beyond merely presenting opportunities to actual implementation.' The first edition was held in Washington, D.C. in April 2025. The Benghazi gathering took place four days after the US State Department's August 31 update to its Libya travel advisory, which kept the country at Level 4 ('Do not travel') and added a health risk indicator, urging Americans in Libya to prepare wills and leave DNA samples — a contrast Libya Herald noted between continued US business engagement in the east and the government's own severe warnings about ground conditions.