Leaders | The World Bank

Right cause, wrong battle

Why the World Bank’s focus on gay rights is misguided

JIM KIM, the president of the World Bank, wants it to promote gay rights. He has declared the “fight to eliminate all institutionalised discrimination” to be an “urgent task”. He recently put on hold a $90m loan to Uganda’s health sector after its government introduced one of Africa’s most draconian anti-gay laws. He has ordered an overhaul of the bank’s lending policies to make sure that no loan assists discrimination. At this week’s Spring Meetings in Washington, DC, he is convening discussions with gay activists on how best to do so.

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Right cause, wrong battle”

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