International network: annual report 2023-2024

Forward Look: International Network in 2024-25

The First Minister has set out his vision that the Scottish Government will focus our efforts and resources on four key priorities: eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, tackling the climate emergency, and ensuring high quality and sustainable public services.

There continues to be strong alignment between the mission-led vision set out in the Programme for Government, and the priorities identified in Scotland’s International Strategy which form the basis of yearly objectives for the teams in Scotland’s international network.

Ministers asked the international network to prioritise investment and economic growth in 2024-25, and to consider how their activity supports the goals of NSET using their knowledge of key sectors, markets and skills in economic diplomacy. Our offices continue to help deliver export growth, secure inward investment and capital investment opportunities, and promote tourism. Their full Team Scotland approach cultivates strategic relationships with key stakeholders and unlocks areas of high potential growth for SDI colleagues to pursue, supported by Scottish Government teams, Trade and Investment Envoys and the GlobalScot networks.

Our focus on renewable energy and the green transition is a central element of Scotland’s international offer, and the Green Industrial Strategy published in September 2024 gives additional focus for our international activity through its five opportunity areas for Scotland:

• maximising Scotland’s wind economy;
• developing a self-sustaining carbon capture, utilisation and storage sector;
• supporting green economy professional and financial services, with global reach;
• growing our hydrogen sector; and
• establishing Scotland as a competitive centre for the clean energy-intensive industries of the future.

The international network also has a role to play in supporting investment, helping supply chain businesses seize new opportunities, and pursuing bilateral and multilateral opportunities to foster a partnership approach with international partners, in particular among our closest markets in Europe.

Scotland also remains well positioned to leverage the success of COP26 on the international climate stage and pursue progress on the Edinburgh Declaration on biodiversity further still. We do this through a combination of diplomatic efforts and attracting innovation, investment and new partnerships – with particular opportunities in hydrogen, and offshore wind.

Our strong nation brand and identity, and our connections with our diaspora, are a key asset to deliver benefits for the people of Scotland. There are also important actions for the international network in the international education and international culture strategies, supporting cultural cooperation, higher education and research and knowledge exchange. This included highlighting Scotland’s distinctive approach to international development and climate justice.

Although the government has had to announce additional spending controls and savings measures for 2024-25, Ministers recognise the importance of international engagement in capturing inward investment and promoting export growth, leading to jobs being created and secured in Scotland. All of the activity of our international network is designed to deliver clear objectives through agreed business plans aligned with Scotland’s International Strategy. The current financial environment means we will continue to ensure rigorous prioritisation of our work, while being transparent through our monitoring and reporting on how Scotland’s international network helps meet the objectives of the International Strategy as part of the government’s overall missions.

As the First Minister said when he set out his vision for the Scottish Government’s 2024 Programme for Government: “These are ambitious priorities, but they reflect not only the biggest challenges we face today, but also the greatest opportunities we have for investment in the future of Scotland as a diverse and prosperous nation.”