In August 2023, the World Bank took a bold and commendable step by halting new lending to Uganda in response to the enactment of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, a law that institutionalized some of the harshest anti-LGBT+ policies in the world. This move signaled the World Bank's commitment to non-discrimination as a key principle of economic development, sending a message to governments worldwide.

However, the World Bank has since proposed a troubling plan to restart lending to Uganda if “mitigation measures” aimed at protecting LGBT+ people from discrimination are deemed effective. This is an alarming development, as these mitigation measures are gravely flawed both in structure and substance.

For example:

1. The measures will be implemented by the Ugandan government, which is responsible for passing and enforcing the discriminatory Anti-Homosexuality Act. Expecting the government to mitigate harms from its own law is counterproductive.

2. The World Bank has not outlined any objective metrics for determining the effectiveness of these measures, raising concerns of arbitrary assessments and potential manipulation.

3. LGBT+ people are not explicitly named in the mitigation efforts, rendering the measures toothless in addressing the specific discrimination they face. The approach risks legitimizing discrimination in Uganda and setting a dangerous precedent for how the World Bank responds to discriminatory policies in other countries.

Join us in calling on the World Bank to uphold its commitment to inclusive economic development and human rights by refusing to restart lending to Uganda under these insufficient measures. Anything less will sanction discrimination and set back the global fight for equality and nondiscrimination.

This petition was started by Health Gap and Convening for Equality Uganda.