Coherent approach required on aid
Education and climate change are areas in which progress is being made on a policy coherent approach, says Chris Hegarty
The past year has seen our global interconnectedness laid bare like never before. The pressing crises of the pandemic and climate change are just two examples of how actions and decisions in one part of the world can have profound effects on many others.
The forthcoming Holyrood election onmay6ththereforerepresentsahuge opportunity for us to reconsider Scotland’s role in, and contribution to, this interconnected world.
Christian Aid engages across the political spectrum to seek positive change. We do so because our work alongside communities to tackle the rootcausesofpoverty,for75years,tells usthatpovertyispolitical,anddoesnot happen by accident. Our experience, in 27 countries spanning Africa, Asia and Latin America, tells us that poverty tends to be the result of unequal access to power and resources which are often linked to, or are a consequence of, political decisions.
In looking at where and how decisions taken in Holyrood can affect global poverty, it is worth broadening the discussion far beyond what might be called traditional ‘aid’. Christian Aid has long understood that the role ofpoliticiansandgovernmentsintacklingpovertygoesfarbeyondproviding funds for international programmes, however welcome and vital that is.
Totrulytackletherootcausesofglobal poverty, diverse issues – far beyond aid budgets – such as climate change, gender inequality, conflict, migration, trade policy and many more, must be addressed.christianaidthereforesupports a government-wide approach that considers the impact of decisions across all departments on the world’s mostvulnerablechildren,womenand men. This kind of approach is often referredtoasoneof‘policycoherence’.
For example, a policy coherent approach might identify Scotland’s education policies as key elements of the country’s overall contribution to international development. Educating our young people to be informed, engaged, active global citizens will stand us in good stead for the collective decisions and actions we take over the decades to come.
Similarly, climate change is another of the Scottish Parliament’s most important areas of responsibility in terms of addressing global poverty. People living in poverty around the world tend to be the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Christian Aid is therefore calling on decision-makerstoembracethetransformationalpoliciesrequiredtodeliver on Scotland’s ambitious climate targets, as well as sharing positive examples of progress in Scotland – such as the rapid de-carbonisation of the electricitygenerationsector–thatcanresonatearoundtheworld,especiallywith the UN Climate Summit, COP26, coming to Glasgow in November.
Education and climate change represent areas in which progress is already being made in embedding a policy coherent approach. To build on that progress, Christian Aid is joining widespread calls for the Scottish Parliament to pass a Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill, that would ensure that all public bodies set objectivestowardssustainabledevelopment outcomes.
Importantly, such an approach appears to have widespread public support. Polling commissioned by Scotland’s International Developmentallianceinnovemberfoundthat almost three-quarters (73%) of Scots think it is important that the Scottish government ensures the global effects of policy decisions made in Scotland are taken into account.
Christian Aid has just published its manifesto recommendations, including on policy coherence, climate change, sustainable economy, education and international development funding. We are working alongside
Scotland’sinternationaldevelopment Alliance to host an online hustings event on March 11 to engage the political parties on these issues, to which members of the public will be welcome. Find out more about the manifesto recommendations and hustings event at: caid.org.uk/scottish-parliamentary-elections
Chris Hegarty - Senior Policy, Advocacy and Communications Advisor, Christian Aid Scotland