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.<\/p>\n
The study from Scotland\u2019s International Development Alliance \u2013 which brings together individuals and organisations who want to create a fairer world \u2013 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The report recommendsing an open source online platform to enable a collaborative approach to policy development.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Jane Salmonson, the alliance CEO, said: \u201cOur 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.”<\/p>\n