New MSPs

17 May 2016

As the Scottish Parliament reconvenes, we welcome Scotland's 129 new and returning MSPs. To

As the Scottish Parliament reconvenes, we welcome Scotland's 129 new and returning MSPs.

To help connect MSPs with our members, we have developed a Holyrood Constituency Mapping report, outlining how the Scotland Malawi Partnership's 900+ members are spread across all 73 constituencies and 8 regions across Scotland.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

In the coming weeks we will be individually briefing all 129 MSPs on Malawi links within their constituency or region, ecouraging them to learn more about and support our members' work locally. We will also re-establish the Malawi Cross Party Group in the Scottish Parliament, to facilitate continued all-party support for Scotland's links with Malawi.

In the run up to the Holyrood election last month each of the major parties made strong manifesto commitments to Scotland's links with Malawi and the Scottish Government's International Development Fund.

The Scottish National Party, who are forming government, committed to:

  • Increasing the annual International Development Fund from £9 million to £10 million
  • Continuing the Small Grants Programme
  • Establishing a £1 million a year fund to respond to future humanitarian emergencies
  • Renewing the Scotland-Malawi Cooperation Agreement
  • Continuing to fund Scotland's network of Development Education Centres at £300,000 a year
  • Working with the wider public sector, institutions, businesses and communities, as well as overseas partners, in the delivery of the international development fund
  • Increasing the Climate Justice Fund to at least £3 million a year for the next five years
  • Providing support and experties to assist the Government of Malawi design a renewable energy strategy
  • Supporting the SMP's calls for the UK Government to update its colonial-era tax agreement with Malawi
  • Producing an annual report on the impact of the SG's international development and other government policies on global poverty
  • Conducting a review of Fairtrade in Scotland in order to inform action to further grow sales of Fairtrade goods
  • Support developing countries in the UN Climate talks
  • Establishing a crisis grant fund for refugee families
  • Funding research into unjust debt held by the UK
New msps