The Minority in Parliament has accused the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of misleading Ghanaians over the country’s recent abstention at the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC59) vote, calling the Ministry’s explanation “totally false.”
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The Foreign Ministry had clarified on Wednesday, July 9, that Ghana did not vote directly on LGBTQI rights, but rather abstained from a resolution to renew the mandate of the Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (IE SOGI).
According to the Ministry, the resolution focused on protecting LGBTQI persons from violence and discrimination, not endorsing LGBTQI rights.
However, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, MP for Damongo and Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, strongly disagreed. In a statement on July 10, he said the Ministry’s claim distorted the real issue.
“The statement by the Ministry that the vote was about whether LGBTQI persons should be protected from violence and discrimination is false,” Jinapor asserted.
He clarified that the resolution involved extending the IE SOGI’s mandate, a role that, in his view, actively promotes LGBTQI rights globally.
Jinapor argued that invoking Article 17 of the Constitution, which prohibits discrimination, was misleading since it doesn’t include protections based on sexual orientation or gender identity. He referenced Article 12, which limits rights where public interest is at stake.
“Ghana’s laws, including the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights Bill, would be seen as discriminatory under the IE SOGI’s mandate,” he added.
Citing an April 17, 2025 report by the Independent Expert, Jinapor said the UN body was pushing for countries to decriminalize LGBTQI conduct, which directly challenges Ghana’s legal and cultural stance.
The Minority has therefore accused the Foreign Ministry of not being transparent with the public, insisting that Ghana’s abstention had broader implications than officials suggested.
