The World Bank says it wants to save Ugandan projects from laws that hurt LGBT people

The World Bank said it is taking steps to make sure that Uganda’s strict anti-gay law doesn’t hurt the people it lends money to.

A spokesperson for the World Bank said that the measures, which include a way for independent observers to make sure that the rules are followed, would apply to both new and current projects.

Uganda is a mostly conservative country that passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) in May of last year. This caused a lot of criticism in the West, and the US even put sanctions on the country.

Same-sex relationships are against the law and can lead to life in jail. People who commit what is called “aggravated homosexuality” are sentenced to death.

Last year, the bank stopped giving any more money to Uganda because it thought the law went against its values.

The World Bank is one of Uganda’s biggest donors, especially for important things like energy and roads. People thought that the funding suspension would hurt its earnings a lot.

“We will not propose any new public financing for Uganda to our board until we are satisfied that… mitigation measures are in place,” it said.

An LGBT group said in a statement this week that they had asked the bank to keep the funding ban in place as long as the law is still in effect.

“The World Bank’s mitigation measures are just a front meant to give the impression of protection,” said Richard Lusimbo, the head of the Ugandan LGBT activist group Convening for Equality (CFE).