International development

We place great importance on Scotland being a good global citizen. This means playing our part in tackling global challenges including poverty, injustice and inequality.

At the forefront of our efforts is our annual £10 million International Development Fund (IDF), whose main aim is to support and empower our partner countries: Malawi, Rwanda, Zambia, and Pakistan.

We have three funding streams under the IDF: development assistance (aid) projects; capacity strengthening initiatives; and commercial investment initiatives.

Actions

We are reviewing our international development programme in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Through the IDF, we are supporting:

• development assistance programmes in our partner countries and others
• capacity-strengthening initiatives between institutions in Scotland and our partner countries
• commercial investment initiatives, including the Malawi Investment Initiative
• collaboration with other donors, including Comic Relief and Sport Relief, in our partner countries

We are also:

• supporting projects to tackle the effects of climate change through our annual £3 million Climate Justice Fund (CJF)
• responding to humanitarian crises worldwide through our annual £1 million Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF), which aims to reduce the threat to people's lives and wellbeing caused by disasters, disease or conflict
• enhancing our global citizenship by promoting fair trade and considering sustainable development in everything we do
• engaging the people of Scotland to raise awareness of Scotland and our global citizenship and international development work
• undertaking rigorous monitoring and evaluation processes to all applications for funding under the IDF, CJF and HEF
• protecting beneficiaries from harm through our safeguarding policy

Background

International Development Fund (IDF)

Since 2005 we have committed at least £3 million per year toward funding international development work. This was initially focused on Malawi, to reflect 150 years of collaborative development between out two countries.

From 2007 our work and budget expanded, with £9 million for projects in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In 2017 we increased our IDF to £10 million a year, and continued to support more initiatives alongside it.

All of our international development work now contributes to sustainable development and the fight against poverty, injustice and inequality internationally, within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

In July 2015 the First Minister announced Scotland's intention to sign up for the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are the globally agreed priorities for tackling poverty and inequality in UN member states up until 2030.

In 2016, as we reached the 10th anniversary of our international development programme, we ran the consultation, Meeting global challenges and making a difference - aligning our international development policy with the global goals. Its purpose was to develop an updated policy that:

• would deliver on our commitment to the SDGs
• was in line with good development practice
• would focus our IDF and other related work to where it could make a real difference, and the biggest impact in relation to our budget

Global Citizenship: Scotland's International Development Strategy

In December 2016 we published Global Citizenship: Scotland's International Development Strategy which sets out our contribution to the international community.

The strategy aligns with other policies that include Scotland's International Framework, the Scottish National Action Plan on Human Rights, Education Scotland's International Strategy, the Trade and Investment Strategy, and the Internationalising Social Enterprise Strategy.

Please note that we are currently refreshing our International Development Strategy in light of COVID-19.

Beyond aid: contribution to international development reporting

In our International Development Strategy (December 2016) we committed to the Beyond Aid agenda. This means taking a holistic approach to sustainable development, requiring all - government, local government, public bodies, private sector, communities and individuals - to adapt their behaviour in support of the Global Goals.

Within the Scottish Government, this means working across other ministerial portfolios. This takes account of the fact that development assistance and other initiatives funded under the IDF are one part of international development work. Some of the greater benefits to the world's poorest and most vulnerable can be brought about through policy changes, eg Scotland’s climate change policies.

Scotland’s climate change and climate justice policies show our commitment to Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD) as part of the Beyond Aid agenda in action. Our leadership on climate change is a clear example of our commitment to “do no harm”.  Our Climate Justice Fund is another positive contribution to international development under a different ministerial portfolio. We have published more information about the relationship between international development and climate justice. 

Outside the Scottish Government, this means promoting the Beyond Aid agenda outwith government. This enables us to consider sustainable development and the impact on developing countries in particular, in everyday decisions and behaviours around social, economic and environmental choices.

Towards that commitment, we are increasingly working across our ministerial portfolios. In September 2018 we published our inaugural Scottish Government contribution to international development report. It takes a holistic look at a wide cross-section of Scottish Government international development activity, and presents it within the context of the UN Global Goals. In September 2019 we published our second Scottish Government Contribution to International Development Report for 2018-19.

Safeguarding the beneficiaries of our international development work

In March 2018, we published our safeguarding policy, which sets out our expectations on the standards from those we fund to provide services to those people and communities who look to our support at their time of greatest need:

“Where we are involved in funding, regulating, scrutinising or providing expert advice to charities involved in delivering international development, we are committed to supporting them, providing a proper framework, and holding them to account in order to achieve these objectives."

In October 2018, we attended UK Department for International Development (DFID) International Summit on Safeguarding and signed up to the Donor Commitments to tackle sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment in the international aid sector. 

From April 2018, through to March 2021 we are providing additional funding to Scotland’s International Development Alliance, to develop and then continue to refine 'Safer For All' , the safeguarding support package for the international development sector in Scotland.

Contact

Email: Central Enquiries Unit ceu@gov.scot

Telephone: 0300 244 4000

Post:
International Development Team
Scottish Government
2H North
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ