Ireland, together with our partners in the European Union, share the widespread concerns in relation to the draft Anti-Homosexuality Bill which is currently under consideration at committee level in the Ugandan Parliament. We have been advocating strongly against the adoption of the proposed law. I raised the issue directly with President Museveni when I visited Uganda in July and I asked our Ambassador in Kampala to continue to follow developments closely. She and a group of EU Ambassadors outlined our serious concerns in a recent meeting with the Prime Minister of Uganda. The regular structured EU political dialogue with the Government of Uganda also provides an important opportunity to highlight our concerns directly.
In our dealings with the Government of Uganda we have made the case that the passing of any such legislation would be in conflict with Uganda’s international human rights obligations and would have a detrimental effect on the country’s relations with its international development partners, including Ireland. The position of the Government of Uganda on the proposed law is that it was presented as a private member’s Bill and is not part of the Government’s legislative programme. President Museveni has made a commitment to engage members of Parliament on the implications of this Bill for Uganda’s international relations and reputation.
We, and our EU and other international partners, remain committed to ensuring that the citizens of Uganda do not suffer violence or discrimination on the grounds of their sexual orientation, including through our role as a member of the UN Human Rights Council. Our Embassy in Uganda will continue to monitor developments closely in the coming weeks.
In relation to our development cooperation funding for Uganda, this has been provided for agreed programmes in the social, health and education sectors, through a number of channels. The programmes are regularly examined and evaluated to ensure we achieve effectiveness and value for money. As the Deputy will be aware, I have suspended all Irish Aid funding for programmes delivered through the Government of Uganda as a result of the misappropriation of funds intended for the Peace, Recovery and Development Programme. Until these funds are restored and we are fully confident that the authorities have strengthened internal financial controls and acted against all officials implicated in the fraud, the suspension of all funding through the Government of Uganda will remain in place.
