Scotland's International Strategy

Executive Summary

This document builds on the work of the Scottish Government’s Global Affairs Framework, in which we set out the values and principles which underpin our international work, and how we prioritise our international activity. It sits alongside our Annual Report, which goes into further detail about the achievements of our International Network in the previous year.

Scotland’s International Strategy establishes how our international role, our vision, and our values fundamentally inform our wider work, such as our long-standing International Development programmes with our partner countries. It describes the three key areas of focus for the Scottish Government’s international engagement and what we aim to achieve in each by the end of the current parliamentary term.

First, we speak about how Scotland benefits from our international work on Economy, Trade and Investment. This section looks at how our activity supports the goals of our National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET) to maximise the opportunities of the next decade to achieve our vision of Scotland as a successful country, with a strong economy focused on wellbeing and fair work.

Next, we will look at our cooperation with the international community on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Renewable Energy, and how we partner with countries and organisations around the world to meet the challenges of the climate and biodiversity emergencies and to achieve the transition to net zero.

Finally, we will look at Reputation, Influence and Relationships. This section looks at how we use our International Network of offices, our strong nation brand and identity, and our connections with our diaspora to benefit the people of Scotland, and how we deliver on our commitment to being a good global citizen.