Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his Ghanaian counterpart on proposed legislation to criminalise LGBT (a) relationships, (b) displays of affection, (c) organisations and (d) materials in Ghana.
The UK continues to monitor the Private Members Bill moving through the Ghanaian parliament, which would further criminalise consensual same-sex relationships and undermine the human rights and freedoms of those perceived as being LGBT+. The UK routinely encourages Ghana to confirm its opposition to all forms of discrimination and uphold the human rights provisions enshrined in Ghana's Constitution, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the principles of both the African and Commonwealth Charters.
I [Minister Mitchell] raised this most recently on two different occasions in June 2023, and with the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee during my visit to Ghana in December 2022. The former Foreign Secretary raised the topic during his visit to Ghana in July 2023. We continue to consider options in the event the Bill is approved by Parliament and granted assent.