”No more fresh money to Uganda” says the World Bank after the East African country passed an anti-gay bill earlier this year that human rights groups and others condemned.
The World Bank deployed a team to Uganda after the legislation was enacted in May and determined that further steps were needed to ensure projects met the bank’s environmental and social standards.
The World Bank Group said in a statement on Tuesday: “No new public funding for Uganda will be presented to our Board of Directors until the effectiveness of additional measures has been established.
“Our goal is to protect gender and gender minorities from discrimination and exclusion in the projects we fund. These measures are currently being discussed with the government. ” he added.
The anti-gay law, which provides for the death penalty for some homosexual acts, was enacted in May. It has wide support in the country, and Ugandan officials are adamant that partners such as the World Bank and others will withdraw resources because of the law. Some officials have suggested that funding threats are inappropriate.
There was no immediate comment from Uganda’s finance ministry, who have been trying for months to get fresh financing from the country’s largest multilateral lender.
The World Bank statement notes that despite the latest decision, it remains “committed to helping all Ugandans – without exception – lift themselves out of poverty, access essential services and improve their lives.”
The United Nations Office for Human Rights has said Uganda’s law is “draconian and discriminatory”, describing it as a “formula for systematic violations of the rights” of LGBTQ+ people and others. The United States warned of economic consequences.
Activists and some academics have challenged the law in court, but it remains unclear when the hearings will begin.
Homosexuality is illegal in more than 30 of the 54 African countries.
