Breaking: 39 Nations Sign Landmark Samoa Agreement

Everything you should know about the Samoa Agreement and the other 38 signatory nations

Nigeria signs Samoa Agreement, sparking debate on LGBTQ+ rights amidst existing anti-gay laws.

Nigeria officially ratified the Samoa Agreement, which supports LGBTQ+ rights, along with 38 other nations.

A significant debate has been whether Nigeria approved same-sex marriage by signing the agreement in Brussels, Belgium on June 28.

According to the European Council, the Samoa Agreement provides the full framework for relations between the European Union (EU) and African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) nations.

Signed on November 15, 2023, and going into effect on January 1, 2024, the foundational agreement creates a new legal framework for EU ties with the 79 nations that make up the Organization of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS). The first 20 years of this agreement's validity are scheduled to pass.

The agreement's mention of gender identity and sexual orientation, which are connected to LGBTQ+ rights, caused several OACPS nations—including Nigeria—to initially hesitate to join it.

A settlement was reached that required the parties to commit to advancing, defending, and preserving all human rights, including social, political, economic, and cultural ones.

The parties are urged to commit to carrying out existing international agreements, including the Beijing Platform on Gender Equality and its subsequent updates, as well as the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (negotiated agreement, Article 36).

The accord covers six principal domains of emphasis, namely: human rights and democracy, climate change, human and social development, peace and security, and migration and mobility.

THE SAMOA AGREEMENT SIGNATORIES

48 African, 16 Caribbean, and 15 Pacific countries—representing a combined population of about two billion people—have signed the Samoa Agreement.

Africa

South Africa, Angola, Cape Verde, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Eswatini, Tanzania, Chad, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The Caribbean

Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago

The Pacific

Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.

THE LGBTQ+ DISPUTE

The Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA) of Nigeria, which was passed in 2014, outlaws same-sex unions and marriages and forbids LGBT rights.

After signing the Samoa Agreement, Nigeria's position on same-sex marriage came under further scrutiny.

A media report on Thursday, July 4, stated that some of the agreement's provisions allegedly mandate that developing and underdeveloped countries aid LGBTQ+ people who are advocating for recognition.

The assertions have been shown to be false.

The minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, made it clear that the federal government made sure the agreement met with other laws in place as well as the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The administration has also made it clear that, in contrast to rumors that it contains provisions for same-sex marriage, the pact only focuses on the nation's economic development.

OTHERS THAT SIGNED THE SAMOA AGREEMENT BUT ARE ANTI-LGBT

Among the nations that have ratified the Samoa Agreement are some with laws prohibiting LGBTQ rights, such as those under Islamic law or with a predominately Muslim populace.

Because they do not accept same-sex marriage, nations like Nigeria joined the Samoa Agreement without include measures pertaining to LGBTQ+ rights.

Samoa, the nation that the pact is named for having hosted its founding summit, outlaws same-sex relationships between men, a practice known as sodomy.

More than thirty African nations forbid consenting same-sex relationships.

Some signatories do not have clear legal viewpoints, while at least 39 of them have anti-LGBTQ+ views.