Global Solidarity Fund: equality impact assessment results

1. Executive Summary

1.1 This combined Equality and Fairer Scotland Duty Impact Assessment has been carried out to inform the design and delivery of the Global Solidarity Fund, which aims to strengthen global citizenship participation through the provision of competitive grant funding to small Scottish based civil society organisations, social enterprises and groups who operate internationally or promote global citizenship values to the public in Scotland.

1.2 The assessment sought to identify whether the Fund could have any potential impacts (positive or negative) on people with protected characteristics. It also sought to establish if more could be done to reduce the 'inequalities of outcome' caused by 'socio-economic disadvantage'. The assessment also incorporates the findings from the gender and disability analysis undertaken as part of the Scottish Government (SG)’s commitment to a Feminist Approach to international relations and gender and equality mainstreaming in its programming.

1.3 The assessment concluded that the Global Solidarity Fund will have a positive impact on:

• Advancing equality of opportunity across age, disability, sex and race.
• Promoting good relations among different equality groups.

1.4 The Fund will have no impact (positive or negative) on eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation against any disability group or reducing inequalities of outcome caused by socio-economic disadvantage.

1.5 The assessment has surfaced a number of design elements to ensure all Public Sector Equality duties are met in the development of the Fund going forward.