1.7 Scotland: a good global citizen
International trade and investment are vital to improving Scotland’s competitiveness and reducing economic inequality. The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring Scotland is a modern, inclusive nation which protects, respects and realises internationally recognised human rights. We embed equality, dignity and respect in everything we do. As a nation, we seek to promote sustainable development, diversity, democracy, the rule of law and human rights across the world. We expect Scottish based businesses to adopt ethical business practices, conduct appropriate due diligence on business partners and to be aware of local business conditions in export markets.
The UN Global Goals also put significant emphasis on the role that trade plays in promoting sustainable development. Scotland was one of the first countries to show political leadership in committing not just to the Global Goals, but also to our intended method of domestic implementation, through the National Performance Framework.
To empower exporters to conduct appropriate due diligence, the Scottish Government’s Directorate for International Trade and Investment (DITI) has produced a document Investment: Due Diligence Checking which sets out the importance of carrying out appropriate due diligence on businesses, including their human rights record, before entering into an relationship with them.
The UK government’s Overseas Business Risk Service also provides geopolitical and economic analysis on overseas markets to new and expanding exporters. The guides provide information on potential risks, including human rights issues, bribery and corruption, terrorism, criminal activity and intellectual property.
We encourage all Scottish based businesses to make good use of these services when evaluating new export opportunities.