Ministry for Foreign Affairs 

Revisiting Foreign  
Aid to the  
Republic of Uganda 
 
 
 
23 December 2013 
 
[ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ] 

Alexander D Peterson 
Honors 232A, Human Rights Diplomacy 
Dr. Carlson-Rainer 
4 June 2019 
 
In Response to Passage of The Anti-Homosexuality Act by the Republic of Uganda:  
A Statement in the Style of Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrӧm 
 
The government of Sweden strongly condemns the recent passage of the Anti-Homosexuality 
Act by the Parliament of Uganda last Friday and urges its immediate repeal.​1​ The criminalisation and 
harsh punishment of individuals on account of their sexual orientation is antithetical to the promotion 
of civil liberty and principles of inclusion, equality, and decency, and the government of Sweden will be 
implementing a variety of measures in response, each of which may be reconsidered only upon 
satisfactory reversal of this recent legislation. In particular, Sweden will be working with and providing 
financial assistance for local pro-LGBTI stakeholders and non-governmental organisations with the goal 
of promoting civic and legal empowerment, societal awareness, and safety of the Ugandan LGBTI 
community. Second, Sweden is prepared to help expedite and finalise key trade alliances and business 
networks such as the Nordic Business Association and the Swedish-Ugandan Business Association only 
upon meaningful progress for Uganda’s LGBTI community domestically, offering the environment for 
substantial new economic gains. Third, Sweden will be deploying a team of legal experts to help inform 
vulnerable populations of asylum opportunities and train domestic lawyers on how to effectively 
navigate Ugandan laws on the issue of LGBTI rights. It is our intention that these initiatives will not 
only bring about the repeal of this law but also help to promote the long term integration and free 
participation of LGBTI persons in Uganda’s wider political, social, and cultural spheres. I urge 
like-minded countries to join us in these productive, effective, and ethical measures to pursue human 
rights at this crucial time. 
 
Sweden provides substantial levels of foreign aid to the government of Uganda as well as 
numerous civil society organisations, research collaboratives, energy project financing, and more that 
are operating in the country.​2​ In 2013 alone, this support constituted over 49 Million in US Dollars, 
with nearly $30 Million of that going towards assisting Uganda in promotion of gender equality, 
reducing gender-based violence, foster democratic institutions, raise awareness and resources for legal 
assistance of vulnerable populations, and more.​3,4​ Through careful consideration of the current focus of 
this foreign aid, we have decided that conditioning this support on the repeal of the Anti-Homoseuxality 
law could carry potential negative consequences for the most vulnerable populations in Uganda, 
including the LGBTI community. As described by journalist Jo Becker regarding anti-LGBTI violence in 
Jamaica just five years ago, there had been widespread concern that an international boycott would 
actually have the effect of putting the local LGBTI population in danger as people may blame them for 
flailing international trade, increasing hostility and violence.​5​ Numerous LGBTI activists in Uganda this 
year have similarly indicated their own concerns over a possible cut in foreign aid on these grounds.​6 
We encourage other nations to engage in substantive countermeasures in opposition to Uganda’s recent 
law but carefully consider how the revocation of certain types of foreign aid would impact local 
populations in the short and medium terms.   
 
In pursuit of responses that carry the most potential to accomplish the desired aim as well as 
avoid victimising those whom we seek to support, we are announcing a multifaceted support network 
for key NGOs that will remain in effect into the foreseeable future. Sweden will be sending a team of 
NGO experts to meet with and work alongside Ugandan citizens working in the private sphere on 
topics such as this to determine how Swedish support can best be funnelled to support the identified 
needs of the local population. This approach is buttressed by foreign policy reports produced by Yale 
University researchers Rachel Bergenfield and Alice Miller, which concluded that the most efficient and 
appropriate provision of foreign support must exist in conjunction with ongoing conversations with 
local activists and community leaders.​7​ It is the intention of the Swedish government that these 
conversations and collaborative partnerships will result in enhancements in three primary areas: to help 
insure the phyical safety of LGBTI people, improve public perceptions of LGBTI citizens, and enhance 
legal empowerment of those facing state persecution.  
 
Following a series of productive conversations between myself, my staff, and LGBTI Ugandan 
activists such as Frank Mugisha and SSenfuka Joanita Warry, Sweden is pleased to be partnering with 
three core LGBTI organisations in Uganda: first, Sexual Minorities of Uganda (SMUG), which 
concentrates on documentation, policy change, and protection of the LGBTI community.​8​ Second, the 
Gay and Lesbian Alliance of Uganda (GALA), whose purpose is to increase visibility of the LGBTI 
community through programming and educational community workshops.​9​ Third, Freedom and Roam 
Uganda (FARUG), which focuses on a wide variety of initiatives to legally defend and celebrate the 
Ugandan LGBTI population.​10​ These partnerships will not only consist of financial aid from Sweden 
toward their functions and expansion but will also involve any legal assistance and organisational 
support these organisations may require to be successful. Furthermore, by maintaining open and 
continual communication between my staff and these community leaders, we can ensure that their 
organisational priorities and their own informed assessment of the most appropriate approach to 
benefiting the LGBTI community in Uganda remain the driving forces of this work we will support into 
the future.​11 
 
Our second key response lies within offering trade incentives for a sustained commitment to the 
liberty of LGBTI individuals in all aspects of Ugandan society. Uganda relies heavily on international 
trade, accounting for over 56% of GDP in 2008.​12​ As mentioned previously, we believe that 
international boycotts or actions to rescind Swedish involvement in trade with Uganda may put the 
Ugandan LGBTI population at risk as they may become scapegoats for internal economic struggles. 
Therefore, Sweden is prepared to offer an incentive in the form of conditional involvement in two key 
business partnerships that carry substantial trade potential for Ugandan companies. First, there are 
currently existing trade networks between Uganda and the Nordic countries and discussions to 
amalgamate these networks into a larger platform called the Nordic Business Association (NBA) to 
further promote trade, investment, finance, and industry.​13​ Sweden is prepared to work toward the 
facilitation and implementation of this multilateral partnership, given appropriate actions by the 
Ugandan government to protect and empower their LGBTI citizens. Second, the Swedish Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs has been working with a team of Swedish and Ugandan business executives to officially 
form the Swedish-Ugandan Business Association (SUBA) that will exist to provide a valuable forum 
regarding business environment, investment opportunities, and trade opportunities between the two 
countries.​13​ This carries high potential to spur foreign investment in Ugandan companies as well as 
enable more efficient introduction of Ugandan goods into Swedish markets. We are prepared to finalise 
this platform and hold an introductory meeting between Ugandan companies and Swedish investors in 
the Swedish ambassador’s residence in Kololo upon further progress on human rights for LGBTI 
Ugandans.​14 
 
Effective immediately, Sweden will also be deploying a team of highly skilled legal experts to 
reside in Uganda in the near term to help inform and train local lawyers in a variety of important areas 
regarding LGBTI safety. Since 1996 the Swedish Migration Agency has explicitly offered the 
opportunity for asylum to anyone who faces violence or discrimination in their homeland due to sexual 
orientation or gender.​15,16​ Our team will not only work to appropriately inform local populations of this 
option but also assist in documentation, evidence-gathering, and travel logistics to ensure that Sweden 
remains a proactively welcoming country for those facing persecution. Furthermore, these lawyers will 
work to train domestic lawyers on how to effectively defend LGBTI individuals in Ugandan courts at all 
stages of the trial proceedings, helping to mitigate any form of implementation of anti-LGBTI 
legislation. Drawing upon the research of human rights academic Kathryn Sikkink, private prosecution 
is often a vital component of achieving not only immediate but also long-term successes for human 
rights as it serves to facilitates accountability of those that commit human rights abuses under 
oppressive laws and government figures.​17​ This is particularly applicable to treatment of LGBTI people 
from law enforcement personnel in Uganda.​18​ Through the offering of these multifaceted legal 
resources, Sweden aims to enhance the physical well-being of vulnerable populations while 
simultaneously insulating ongoing activism in favor of the LGBTI community in Uganda.  
 
These three key categories of revitalised support for the LGBTI Ugandan population will help in 
making significant and positive impacts in light of the steep challenges facing this community today. 
However, ensuring success in these areas will require in-kind contributions and expedient participation 
of like-minded nations, whom we call upon to recognise the critical importance of action at this present 
time. I am hopeful that Ugandan political leaders will reconsider and repeal this law, reaping the benefits 
of not only a more free and equal society but also substantial economic gains through bilateral and 
multilateral trade partnerships that Sweden is prepared to actualise. Until then, we will maintain firm 
support for a variety of pro-LGBTI NGOs and provide the legal support necessary for robust activism 
and a safe community. Without hesitation, we will be monitoring the situation closely and updating our 
responses as necessary.
Bibliography
1​
Uganda: The Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2014 [Bill Text]. Signed 14 February 2014. Accessed at h
​ ttps://
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2​
Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. “Where we work: Development 
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3​
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at https://openaid.se/aid/sweden/uganda/2013/ 
 
4​
OpenAid. “Sweden’s Aid to Uganda via all Organisations for Government and Civil Society, 2013.” 
Updated 2015. Accessed at https://openaid.se/aid/sweden/uganda/all-organisations/ 
government-and-civil-society/2013/ 
 
5​
Becker, Jo 2013. ​Campaigning for Justice: Human Rights Advocacy in Practice.​ Stanford Studies in Human 
Rights. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA.  
 
6​
Sserunjogi, Eriasa Mukiibi. “Why Germany will not cut aid over gay Bill.” D
​ aily Monitor. P
​ ublished 2 
December 2012. Accessed at https://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/PeoplePower/
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7​
Bergenfield, Rachel and Alice Miller March, 2014. “Queering International Development? An 
Examination of New “LGBT Rights” Rhetoric, Policy, and Programming Among International 
Development Agencies.” LGBTQ Policy Journal, Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, MA. 
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6019083092116108101016036036048035081100114095024086064068022023075002119124098
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8​
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9​
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https://www.hrw.org/lgbt-international-resources 
 

10​
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 http://faruganda.org/about-farug/ 
 
11​
Ahmed, Shamima, and David M. Potter. N
​ GOs in International Politics​, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 
2006. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/washington/ 
detail.action?docID=3328903. 
 
12​
The World Bank. “Trade (% GDP): Uganda.” Updated 2017. Accessed at https://data.worldbank.org/
indicator/NE.TRD.GNFS.ZS?locations=UG 
 
13 ​
Embassy of Sweden. “The Embassy’s Work on Trade and Investment Promotion.” Updated 23 March 
2018. Accessed at https://www.swedenabroad.se/en/about-sweden-non-swedish-citizens/
uganda/business-and-trade-with-sweden/the-embassys-work-on-trade-and-investment-promo
tion/ 
 
14​
Ssejjoba, Eddie. “Trade minister Kyambadde woos Swedish investors.” Ministry of Trade, Industry 
and Cooperatives, The Republic of Uganda. Updated 2019. Accessed at http://www.mtic.go.ug/ 
index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=114&catid=14&Itemid=262 
 
15 ​
Human Rights Watch. ​Swedish Asylum Policy in Global Human Rights Perspective​. Published 1 September 
1996, Vol. 8, No. 14 (D). Accessed at https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a7ff0.htm 
 
16​
Swedish Migration Agency. “For lgbtq persons – If you seek protection.” Updated 31 March 2015. 
Accessed at https://www.migrationsverket.se/English/Private-individuals/ Protection-and- 
asylum-in-Sweden/For-lgbtq-persons.html 
 
17​
Sikkink, Kathryn 2011. ​The Justice Cascade: How Human Rights Prosecutions are Changing World Politics.​  
WW Norton Publishers, New York, NY.  
 
18​
Lind, Peter Lykke. “In Uganda, gay men say police use torturous method to 'prove' homosexuality.” 
Reuters.​ Published 2 November 2016. Accessed at https://www.reuters.com/article/%E2%80 
%8Cus-uganda-lgbt/in-uganda-gay-men-say-police-use-torturous-method-to-prove-homosexu
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