Washington Post: Discrimination by law carries a high price
Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank Group

Eighty-three countries ” — in the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Middle East — have passed laws that make homosexuality illegal. … More than 100 countries discriminate against women. And an even greater number of countries still have laws that discriminate against minority groups. … There is clear evidence that when societies enact laws that prevent productive people from fully participating in the workforce, economies suffer. … At the World Bank Group, we will have a full internal discussion over the coming months about discrimination more broadly and how it would affect our projects and our gay and lesbian staff members. My view is that the fight to eliminate all institutionalized discrimination is an urgent task. After all, the bottom line is clear: Eliminating discrimination is not only the right thing to do; it’s also critical to ensure that we have sustained, balanced and inclusive economic growth in all societies — whether in developed or developing nations, the North or the South, America or Africa” (2/27).