World Bank freezes funding to Uganda over anti-gay law

GOOBJOOG NEWS | KAMPALA: The World Bank has announced suspension of funding for projects in Uganda accusing the East African nation of human rights violations over the recent enactment of the anti-homosexuality law.

In a statement released Tuesday, the Bank adds that further funding is being frozen until authorities in Uganda provide adequate policy to protect minorities, including the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other groups commonly categorised as LGBTQ+.

“Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act fundamentally contradicts the World Bank Group’s values. We believe our vision to eradicate poverty on a liveable planet can only succeed if it includes everyone irrespective of race, gender, or sexuality,” the statement reads in part.

It adds, “This law undermines those efforts. Inclusion and non-discrimination sit at the heart of our work around the world.”

In May, President Yoweri Museveni signed into law the Anti-Homosexuality Act, providing penalties as high as a death sentence for “aggravated homosexuality, drawing widespread condemnations from rights groups and Western countries such as the US who threatened sanctions.

The US is a key shareholder in the World Bank and has almost always produced its president.