Scotland ‘could lead the world’ in sustainable development, new report says

07 / 05 / 2020

By The National - -

SCOTLAND can be a leader in sustainable development and the Scottish Government and Parliament can propel the country towards more coherent policy-making that puts people and planet first, according to a new report.

The study from Scotland’s International Development Alliance – which brings together individuals and organisations who want to create a fairer world – sets out why our future prosperity, at home and abroad, depends on our ability to see the bigger picture, as well as identify common goals.

It is the result of collaborative work by a range of charities across Scotland, aiming to bring together civil society and government to make Scotland a leader in its approach to sustainable development.

The report recommendsing an open source online platform to enable a collaborative approach to policy development.

Its main messages are timely, with the Covid-19 crisis continuing to make many rethink how they live and work, and crucially, reflect on what it means to live in an interdependent, interconnected world.

There are several key points, among them the tenet that no-one has all the solutions and that government policy is always better thought through when it is transparently co-developed by a range of stakeholders.

The study urges government officials, politicians and civil society with different interests to work together and think systematically about how policy areas interact with each other.

It says the new Scottish Government Inter-Ministerial Group on Policy Coherence, which is due to meet for the first time this month, has potential to promote joined-up thinking.

Jane Salmonson, the alliance CEO, said: “Our new report highlights that Scotland can demonstrate global leadership on our commitment to delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals and set an example to the rest of the world.”

“Whether the goal is ending poverty in other countries, creating an economy that has wellbeing at the core or protecting our shared environment, we must find ways to ensure progress in one area is not at the expense of others.”