Scottish Connections Framework

Scotland’s Offer to our Diaspora

Scotland’s diaspora is an extension of our nation.

Recognising and engaging our diaspora is an objective in itself – not a means to an end. We want to inspire ever more connections between Scotland and our global community.

This Framework for the first time offers a holistic and coherent approach to Scotland’s diaspora, visualising and recognising them as an integral part of Scotland today and of Scotland’s future.

It is an invitation to anyone who considers themselves to be Scottish to connect with us – to live, work, study, visit, or do business in Scotland. Or, simply to become more connected to Scotland, with the homeland or with other Scots around the world.

We know Scottish diaspora are engaged and enthused in a varied range of interests, including through their heritage or other affinity with Scotland, their education here, or cultural and business links. All have their own particular connection to Scotland. We want our Framework and activities to reflect that rich complexity.

Recognising the importance of our diaspora is fundamental, as is reflecting the diversity of our diaspora members and their interests. But we must also focus our efforts. This Framework therefore outlines a series of commitments and ambitions to support our work to build a global network of Scottish connections, which are listed at the end of the document.

We will build on our established networks to help Scotland do business with the world – growing bridges between our trade and investment landscape and other sectors.

We will work with Scotland’s top class education institutions to engage their passionate alumni in almost every country around the world.

We will showcase all Scotland has to offer to our diaspora – encouraging even more people to visit and explore.

And we will support those who want to pay us the compliment of living and working in Scotland.

Threading through all of this work will be a strong focus on Scotland’s culture, which we will continue to champion as a world-renowned asset.

Ultimately, we will work to connect people to Scotland and with each other – continuing with research into our communities to deepen our understanding of them, and encouraging people to explore their own Scottish connections.

To help us succeed, we will review our progress biennially, adjusting our approach where necessary and ensuring our resources are used sensibly. To support this continual improvement, we will also establish an external advisory group drawing on knowledge and experience of our international diaspora and from expertise in Scotland and beyond.

In short, this Framework is a commitment to our diaspora, an invitation to engage, and a commitment to deepening a global community of Scottish Connections.

www.gov.scot/international

www.scotland.org

diaspora@gov.scot