Sweden resumes aid to Uganda after suspending it over anti-gay law

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

KAMPALA (Reuters) – Sweden has resumed financial aid to Uganda after suspending some assistance in March over a law widely condemned by donor nations that increases punishment for homosexuals.

Uganda relies on aid to fund about 20 percent of its annual state budget, but it has resisted Western pressure to rescind the law, enacted in February, which imposes jail terms of up to life for “aggravated homosexuality”, including gay sex with a minor or while HIV-positive.

The Swedish embassy in Kampala said it would provide 1.35 billion crowns ($198 million) over the next five years to improve child and maternal health, sustainable growth and employment in the east African country.

“Sweden wants to help create better conditions in Uganda for sustainable economic growth and development. This is why Swedish aid to Uganda will remain substantial,” Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation Hillevi Engstrom said.

Source: Reuters (link opens in a new window)

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Health Care
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Base of the Pyramid, poverty alleviation, public health