Ireland not cutting aid to Uganda over anti-gay laws

Ireland has announced that it will continue to give financial aid to Uganda despite the country introducing new anti-gay legislation.

David Cooney, Department of Foreign Affairs secretary general, said that cutting off aid would be the wrong course of action to take, despite objecting to the new laws, TheJournal.ie reports.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has previously said that Uganda’s anti-gay bill will put a strain on Ireland’s relationship with the country.

However, Cooney explained: “Whatever about the action of the government. We do not feel that it would be appropriate to cut off our assistance that is going to directly to these people.”

He added that Ireland still received financial support from the EU when homosexual acts were illegal in the 1990s.

“We have come a long way in this country over a short period,” Cooney said. “It’s a matter of education and bringing people along… I don’t think our reaction should be that we would cease aid.”

Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands are among the countries to have suspended aid after President Yoweri Museveni passed the new anti-gay laws.

Meanwhile, the World Bank have postponed a loan of £54 million to the country.

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> Uganda gay activists: ‘Cutting aid will hurt LGBTI community’