Scottish Parliament publishes Inquiry into Scottish Government’s International Work
07 April 2022
The Scottish Parliament’s Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee published its Inquiry into the Scottish Government’s International Work on the 6th April, with reflections and recommendations relating to the government’s international development activities.
The Scotland Malawi Partnership was invited to submit both written and oral evidence to the inquiry by the Committee. You can read our written submission HERE and watch our oral evidence HERE.
In all our evidence, we made clear the strong support the Partnership has for the Scottish Government’s international development activity with Malawi, applauding the commitment to an expanded international development budget and noting this stands in stark contrast to the actions of the UK Government, where aid continues to be cut.
We also looked to represent members in a number of areas including:
- Transparency and accountability of decision-making
- Competitive calls and published processes and timescales
- The loss of the Small Grants Programme
- The importance of constructive synergy between governmental and non-governmental efforts
- The value and distinctiveness of the bilateral relationship with Malawi.
We welcome the work of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee and commend the Scottish Government for its strong engagement with this process. The Scottish Government can and does show real leadership here, setting an example for others to follow, as to the importance of international development and the key role of civic engagement and parliamentary accountability.
Pages 21-29 (paragraphs 134 – 187) of the report relate to the Scottish Government’s international development work. Below is a summary of some of the reports key conclusions in the seven sections relating to international development:
We also looked to represent members in a number of areas including:
- Transparency and accountability of decision-making
- Competitive calls and published processes and timescales
- The loss of the Small Grants Programme
- The importance of constructive synergy between governmental and non-governmental efforts
- The value and distinctiveness of the bilateral relationship with Malawi.
We welcome the work of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee and commend the Scottish Government for its strong engagement with this process. The Scottish Government can and does show real leadership here, setting an example for others to follow, as to the importance of international development and the key role of civic engagement and parliamentary accountability.
Pages 21-29 (paragraphs 134 – 187) of the report relate to the Scottish Government’s international development work. Below is a summary of some of the reports key conclusions in the seven sections relating to international development:
Policy coherence:
- The Committee “must be provided with sufficient information to determine where there is policy coherence, where it is lacking, or where the case can be made for trade-offs or compromise”
- “Policy coherence will also require a better understanding and profile of international development issues across the Scottish Government”
- “public interest and understanding will be a key component”
- The Committee invites “the Scottish Government to detail all that it is doing to ensure international development issues can help to shape development of its domestic policy agenda.”
- “issues prioritised in external relations… should be driven by, match and inform domestic priorities.”
Scale and focus:
- The Committee welcomes the increase in funding while recognising the overall scale of the budget remains modest. “Focusing on what expertise Scotland can offer will be important if we are to have an impact”… “a small amount of funding, when directed at the right project, can make a significant difference to communities”
A distinctive approach:
- “The Committee notes the approach developed in Scotland’s engagement with Malawi over the last two decades. The evidence we heard suggests that the Scotland-Malawi relationship is one based more on common understanding and local partnership than a top-down we-know-best approach.”
Thematic expertise and geography:
- “the revised International Framework should set out clear connections and be integrated with all relevant strands of Scottish Government policy”
- The International Framework “must be strategic, explicit about its priorities, and informed by a clear set of policies, values and objectives”
- This is “crucial in order for the Parliament and wider public to seek answers to such fundamental questions as how we should engage internationally, why, with whom, and to what effect.”
Funding approach and best value:
- “The Committee invites the Scottish Government to provide a breakdown of its current international development grants in respect of the process followed i.e. competitive and non-competitive, and the rationale for that approach.”
Small grants:
- “The decision to cancel the Small Grants Programme has not been without criticism… We ask to be kept updated on any further developments, including the outcomes of the Minister’s planned discussions with the corefunded networking organisations as mentioned in that correspondence.”
- “The view of the Committee – while understanding the logic of the process and the criteria applied – is that it should still be possible to enable a role for small initiatives i.e. those innovative and community-led projects which have the potential to grow into bigger undertakings and attract more funding. Once the Minister has discussed next steps with the relevant partner organisations, we ask him to write to us again, setting out what support the Scottish Government can provide for the growth of such grass-roots initiatives.”
Role of Parliament:
- “The Committee very much recognises the importance of parliamentary scrutiny of international development spend”