The Minority Caucus has strongly criticized the government’s choice to refrain from participating in a pivotal vote concerning LGBTQ matters at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Members of Parliament from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) labeled the decision a betrayal of Ghanaian cultural principles and expressed concern over what they viewed as governmental apathy.
Samuel Abu Jinapor, the MP for Damongo and lead member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, released a statement condemning the move, asserting that “not voting equates to silent endorsement.” He maintained that Ghana’s refusal to cast a vote during the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva essentially signaled implicit backing of the disputed mandate held by the Independent Expert charged with addressing violence and prejudice tied to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (IE SOGI).
According to Jinapor, Ghana forfeited a key chance to publicly declare its stance on LGBTQ-related issues by abstaining
“Ghana rejoined the Human Rights Council in January 2024 and could have used the 59th session to clearly express her viewpoint on LGBTQ through voting on the proposal to renew the IE SOGI’s mandate. Yet once more, it opted to remain neutral,” he stated.
He pushed back against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ justification that the vote pertained solely to safeguarding individuals from harm and unequal treatment.
“The Ministry’s claim that the issue was whether LGBTQI-identifying persons should be shielded from violence and discrimination is completely inaccurate,” Jinapor argued. “The real matter was the extension of the IE SOGI’s mandate—which inherently supports LGBTQ advocacy.”
He emphasized that several African nations opposed the resolution—not out of support for violence, but out of rejection of the broader agenda.
“It’s not accurate to suggest that those countries which routinely vote against the mandate are endorsing mistreatment of LGBTQ people; they simply object to the LGBTQ agenda outright.”
Jinapor reminded citizens that the same mandate Ghana failed to challenge aims to dismantle legal protections of Ghanaian cultural traditions.
“For instance, in the report submitted on 17 April 2025, IE SOGI recommended that ‘States should abolish formal and informal laws criminalizing LGBTQ identities.’”
He refuted the government’s assertion that the country’s abstention was dictated by limitations set out in Chapter Five of the Constitution.
“The notion that Article 17 of the Constitution necessitated abstention is flawed. That article does not affirm personal choice regarding sexual orientation or gender identity,” he stated.
Jinapor went on to claim that the government’s consistent abstention on LGBTQ-related decisions and its failure to bring the Anti-Gay Bill before Parliament demonstrates a lack of genuine commitment to Ghanaian family values.
“The refusal to present the Anti-Gay Bill for legislative approval, along with repeated abstentions, reveals glaring inconsistencies in the government’s posture on LGBTQ matters and national values,” he stressed.
He highlighted that Ghana’s criminal statutes already ban certain LGBTQ behaviors and insisted that the administration should reflect these laws in its international engagements.
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