Post date: Jan 29, 2012 4:8:35 PM
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (JANUARY 29, 2012) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ETHIOPIA TELEVISION) - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday (January 29) told African leaders they must respect gay rights.
Ban made the comments during an address to African Union leaders in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon tells an African Union summit in Ethiopia that African leaders must respect gay rights.
"Africa's future also depends on investment in civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a promise to all people in all places at all times. Let me mention one form of discrimination that has been ignored or even sanctioned by many states for far too long. Discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This has prompted some governments to treat people as second class citizens or even criminals. Confronting this discrimination is a challenge," said the UN Secretary General.
Gay rights are a controversial issue in many African states. Homosexuality is outlawed in most African countries and discrimination against gays and lesbians is rife on the continent.
South Africa is the only African country that legally recognises gay rights and same-sex marriage and it was one of the first countries in the world to outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.