International strategy: annual report 2024 to 2025

Introduction

In January 2024, we published Scotland’s International Strategy¹ setting out how the Scottish Government and our partners would deliver key international priorities throughout the parliamentary term. The strategy outlines how government, agencies and our international network work collaboratively across a wide range of policy areas and international activities to strengthen Scotland’s position on the world stage and advance our shared international ambitions, including contributing to the development of the well-established values-led nation brand for Scotland, known as the Brand Scotland Partnership.

The strategy focuses on three broad themes of:

• economy, trade and investment
• climate change, biodiversity and renewable energy
• reputation, influence and relationships

The focus on these themes ensures we are prioritising areas where Scotland already has significant strengths. It also means that we have identified key areas where we see the greatest potential and opportunity for Scotland to grow its presence, impact and influence. This strategy will continue to be the principal guide for our international work for the remainder of this parliamentary term.

This annual report sets out how we have delivered on these aims and on the key actions set out in the International Strategy since it was published, in the reporting year 2024-25. It also reflects how our international engagement supports the broader ambition of strengthening Scotland’s global reputation.

The Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture confirmed to the Scottish Parliament in May 2023² that we would undertake a biannual review of the Scottish Connections Framework.³ The output of that review is included in this report, within the chapter on reputation, influence and relationships.

This annual report also includes narrative and financial reporting on our Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend previously included in the Contribution to International Development report.⁴ This is found in the chapter on climate change, biodiversity and renewable energy as it relates to the Climate Justice Fund; in the chapter on reputation, influence and relationships as it relates to our development spend in our partner countries of Malawi, Zambia, Rwanda and Pakistan, as well as our humanitarian emergency spend globally; and in the annexes on performance and transparency data detailing all of our ODA spend, by country, project, and implementing partner from which Scottish Government ODA fund the project financing was sourced, and whether grants or contracts were awarded competitively or non-competitively.