Malawi Cross Party Group: discussing SG review of International Development policy
Those involved in the Scotland-Malawi relationship are invited to join the next meeting of the Scottish Parliament's Cross Party Group (CPG) on Malawi. This meeting will also serve as the Group's AGM.
The Scottish Parliament’s Malawi Cross Party Group (CPG) met digitally on Wednesday 23rd September to discuss the forthcoming Scottish Government international development review.
The CPG was delighted to be joined by the Scottish Government’s International Development Minister, Jenny Gilruth MSP, who updated the CPG on the Government’s review.
Representatives from all five political parties (the SNP, the Scottish Conservatives, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Scottish Labour and the Scottish Greens) all made powerful contributions championing what they saw as the core values underpinning the Scottish Government’s international development work, most especially the way the programme engages and supports wider civic links with Malawi.
The Government of Malawi, represented by Malawi Hon Consul Peter West and Hon Vera Kamtukule, gave a similarly impassioned call for this core value of civic engagement to continue, highlighting the Government’s guiding principle of ‘do no harm’ in the review.
Short presentations were given by: Kevin Simpson (Malawi Fruits); Emma Wood (Queen Margaret University and STEKA Skills); Prof Tim Eden (World Child Cancer); Prof Paul Garside (University of Glasgow); Fiona Anderson (Dunblane-Likhubula Partnership) and Ben Wilson (WaterAid), each sharing their own views on what they feel should/shouldn’t change in the Scottish Government’s international development policy review.
The Malawi CPG has done all it can to be as transparent, inclusive and representative as possible, within the time and practical constraints.
Before the meeting, all those involved in links between Scotland and Malawi, in ether country, were invited to make a short digital submission, sharing their views on the Scottish Government’s international development review. Speakers at the meeting were selected from those had made submissions.
The CPG will keep its short digital consultation open until 5th October.
CLICK HERE to submit your views to the Malawi CPG on the forthcoming Scottish Government international development review.
The CPG will then write a cross-party submission to the Scottish Government, to feed into its international development review, based on:
(a) input from MSPs across the political parties;
(b) discussions at the 23rd September meeting;
(c) digital submissions from those involved in the bilateral relationship, in both countries;
(d) input from across 15 years of Malawi CPG meetings, listening to those engaged in the Malawi relationship and those in the Malawian diaspora.
These views will also be championed in a forthcoming Parliamentary debate.
The CPG is keen to be clear that this was not a direct Scottish Government consultation but rather an opportunity for stakeholders to feed into the CPG's discussion about the review, and the CPG's submission to the Scottish Government. The CPG hopes details about how stakeholders can themselves directly feed into the Scottish Government's review will be forthcoming and is keen to signpost to this helpful webpage.
Further information and notes, including video clips of the CPG meeting and speaker details and minutes, will be available here shortly.
