The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has clarified that there was no vote on the support of LGBTQI for which Ghana abstained at the 59th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC59) on Monday, 7th July.

The clarification stems from false media commentary on Ghana's vote at the 59th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC59) on the resolution for the Renewal of the Mandate of the Independent Expert on Protection Against Violence and Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI).

In a statement, the ministry indicated that Ghana rather abstained from the HRC's vote on the renewal of the Mandate of the Independent Expert on Protection Against Violence and Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.

"The question before the Council was whether persons who identify as LGBTQI should be protected against violence and discrimination or not. It was not about support for LGBTQI rights.Ghana abstained in the vote, to be consistent with Chapter 5, Article 17 of the 1992 Constitution, which specifically prohibits discrimination on the grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, creed, or social and economic status," a part of the statement issued on July 9 read.

The resolution requests the Independent Expert to continue to report annually on the implementation of the mandate to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly in accordance with their respective programmes of work.

In a statement delivered by the Permanent Representative of Ghana during the Session, he unequivocally clarified Ghana's position on the subject by stating inter alia, that 'Our understanding of the traditional definition of gender is the male sex or female sex, especially when considered with reference to social and cultural differences. Similarly, sex in our view refers to either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and most other living things are divided and used for statistical purposes and policy monitoring'.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that it is very mindful of the Ghanaian public's general opposition and the government's strong stance against the subject of LGBTQI rights.

As such, it will not act in any manner to undermine this position.

Earlier, it was reported that Ghana has abstained from a United Nations Human Rights Council vote to renew the mandate of the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Reacting to the false reports, the Member of Parliament for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Boamah, has expressed shock over the matter and questioned the government's purported neutral stance.

“We were promised by the government of the day that they were not going to support that activity. So, we expected that Ghana should have taken a firm position on that. I was a bit surprised to see that Ghana abstained. So, we will be asking the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the representative of the government as to why Ghana abstained.

“I intend to file a question to understand the basis of the abstention. This is not a foreign policy matter; this is a cultural issue, a value issue, a constitutional issue, things that are alien to our culture and wellbeing…it was a clear opportunity for the government to demonstrate its position on this matter,” he said in an interview on ChannelOne TV.

The newly introduced Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, known as the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, is set to undergo its first reading.

This was revealed by the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin in May this year.

When passed, the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill will criminalise LGBTQ+ activities in Ghana, as well as individuals and organizations promoting such activities.

The bill was once presented in Parliament under the era of former President Akufo-Addo’s administration. However, it didn't receive ex-president Akufo-Addo's assent due to a legal tussle.

Earlier this year, the bill was reintroduced in Parliament after President John Dramani Mahama revealed that the bill was no longer active, as it expired with the previous Parliamentary session.