Minority Call Out Government For Abstaining From LGBTQ+ Vote At The UN

The Minority Caucus on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament has taken strong exception to the Government of Ghana’s decision to abstain from voting on the renewal of the mandate of the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination, based on sexual orientation and gender identity (IE SOGI) at the 59th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC59) in Geneva.

In a press statement signed by the Ranking Member of the Committee, Samuel A. Jinapor, the Minority condemned what it described as the Government’s “double standards” on matters related to LGBTQ and Ghanaian family values.

The caucus further accused the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of issuing misleading information in its explanation of Ghana’s abstention.

According to the Minority, the Ministry’s justification that the vote was merely about protecting LGBTQ persons from violence and discrimination is inaccurate.

“The question before the Council was whether to extend the mandate of the IE SOGI, which includes the promotion of LGBTQ rights,” the statement said.

The IE SOGI was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2016 through Resolution 32/2, with a mandate to raise awareness about and address violence and discrimination against individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Since then, the mandate has been renewed twice in 2019 and 2022. Ghana was not on the Council during those renewals.

Having rejoined the Human Rights Council in January 2024, Ghana had the opportunity to vote on whether to extend the IE SOGI’s mandate for a third term. Instead, it abstained, from a move the Minority describes as a failure to defend Ghana’s cultural values and legal position on LGBTQ issues.

The Minority argued that supporting the extension of the IE SOGI’s mandate would be tantamount to endorsing calls to repeal laws that criminalise LGBTQ conduct in Ghana.

“In his April 17, 2025 report, the Independent Expert urged States to end both legal and informal practices that criminalise LGBTQ activities,” the statement emphasised.

Citing the IE SOGI’s 2018 report to the UN General Assembly, the Minority noted that the expert challenged the binary understanding of gender and advocated for legal recognition of transgender individuals, including rights to marriage and gender identification, positions they say are incompatible with Ghanaian values and laws.

Furthermore, the caucus rejected the Ministry’s invocation of Chapter Five of Ghana’s Constitution to justify the abstention.

“Nothing in Article 17 supports individual choice of sexual orientation or gender identity,” the statement said, insisting that Article 12 explicitly states that constitutional rights are subject to public interest.

The statement also took a swipe at the government’s delay in laying the Anti-LGBTQ Bill known formally as the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill before Parliament.

The bill, which was widely supported in Parliament and among the public, remains stalled, raising questions about the government’s political will to follow through on its earlier commitments.

“Our criminal laws already prohibit certain LGBTQ related practices, which align with Ghanaian values and traditions.

“It is, therefore, disappointing that this Government, on two separate occasions, has failed to join like-minded nations to defend these values internationally,” the statement noted.

While the Minority reaffirmed its opposition to violence against LGBTQ persons, it emphasised that such opposition should not be conflated with supporting the global LGBTQ rights agenda.

“We remain committed to upholding the integrity of our nation and defending her norms, values, and practices both at home and abroad,” the statement concluded.

 

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