Libya's United Nations-backed Government of National Accord has been warning that IS could seize most of the country if action isn't taken soon.
Ministers from the United States, Europe and the Middle East gathered in Vienna for talks with Fayez al-Sarraj, the Prime Minister of Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord.
The unity government recently established themselves in Tripoli, trying to end the bloody chaos that's engulfed the country since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi five years ago.
It aims to replace two rival administrations that have been battling each other for more than a year-- one based in the capital, Tripoli, the other in the eastern city of Tobruk.
But the unity government's attempts to strengthen its authority are being undermined by the self-proclaimed Islamic State, which has launched a series of suicide bombings and attacks on Libyan oil facilities.
As talks in Vienna began, Germany's Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, made it clear a lot is at stake, not just for Libya but also the international community.
"Today, Libya is in the focus of our attention. And the decisive question is whether Libya, directly on Europe's southern border, remains a place where terrorism, human smuggling and instability keep spreading, or do we join the Government of National Accord to restore stability and the rule of law in Libya?"
International powers have repeatedly said they would support Libyan efforts once a unity government was established and had made its demands clear.
Prime Minister Sarraj says he does not want international intervention in Libya, only assistance in training and equipping troops.
But to import any weaponry, Libya needs an exemption from an arms embargo placed on the country by the UN Security Council in 2011.
"We asked for the lifting of the arms embargo in order to support the military institutions and the presidency council to fight Daesh. We also asked for the support and preparation of the presidency guard, which we established days ago. This presidency guard has a clear role, aimed at protecting the government and public spaces. It will not replace the military or the police. We also agreed to support the coast guard to help limit illegal immigration."
US Secretary of State John Kerry says the Government of National Accord is the only entity that can unify Libya.
He says the international community will support Libya's exemption bid, while still upholding the embargo's aims.
"The arms embargo does allow for the Government of National Accord to request weapons if it needs them specifically to secure the country and to combat Daesh. We will measure whatever requests there are for their legitimate arms requests, with our call to all states to improve the enforcement of the arms embargo itself in order to prevent arms transfers from taking place to people outside the GNA's authority. So it's a delicate balance."
The unity government is yet to secure the support of all militia groups operating in Libya.
While the battle against IS remains a key issue, Italy's Foreign Minister, Paolo Gentiloni, has also drawn attention to Libya's role as a major transit point for migrants trying to reach Europe.
"Stabilisation is the key. With stabilisation we can fight terrorism, we can assure development to a country with rich potentialities, but with a strong humanitarian crisis now we can tackle the migration issue, we can develop the resources of Libya."
Earlier this month, an estimated 113 people died in four shipwrecks between Libya and Italy.
Recent measures by the European Union has seen a drop in the number of Syrian, Afghan and Iraqi migrants taking the route but it's still favoured by many travelling from Africa.
Britain's Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, says measures are already in place to help Libya build its coastguard.
"The British government is already offering bilateral technical support to the new Libyan government and today we've heard a clear request from the Libyan prime minister for supporting capacity building of the Libyan coast guard which will address Libyan concerns about smuggling and insecurity on their border but will also address European concerns about illegal migration."
The Vienna meetings will continue for a second day, where the focus will shift to another long-running conflict in the region: Syria.
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