The Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party WFD programme
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The Scottish National Party is a progressive, left-of-centre party with an internationalist outlook. The SNP WFD Office leverage the unique expertise and experiences of the SNP being the second opposition party in the UK Parliament as well as the governing party in the devolved Scottish Parliament. For example, by sharing real examples of Scotland’s experience in moving closer to gender equality (as the first gender-balanced cabinet in the UK) and its path towards becoming a global leader in climate change (led on Loss & Damage internationally at COP27).
What we focus on
Our international work seeks to mirror our domestic priorities and values. Therefore, the SNP WFD international democracy programme focusses on:
• Promoting gender equality and inclusiveness in political representation.
• Promoting accountability and transparency.
• Addressing the urgency of the climate crisis.
"Through our international work, we can support the creation of good, green jobs, reduce child poverty, gender and other inequalities
at home and overseas, and share Scotland's experience in policy-making, while learning ourselves from others.
In this way we can make a contribution to the world that is welcomed and valued."
Our programmes
Malawian Parliamentary Women's Caucus
The Parliamentary Women’s Caucus (PWC) is a cross-party group of women parliamentarians represented in the Malawian National Assembly which advocates for policy and legislation promoting gender equity in all spheres of Malawian society. SNP WFD has partnered with the PWC through its NGO secretariat, Lilongwe-based Centre for Civil Society Strengthening (CCSS), since 2017. The programme conducts activities that strengthen the visibility of women in leadership positions, engage in election monitoring exercises promoting electoral integrity, tackle negative stereotypes of women in politics, and gender-responsive analysis.
The SNP WFD produced a Gender-Responsive Budgeting Guidance Note in 2023 to guide MPs budget analysis and inputs from a gender perspective.
The Zambian Parliamentary Caucus on Environment and Climate Change
The programme works with six Zambian political parties to provide them with the tools and guidance to become more effective actors on environmental and climate change issues. The project aims to fill the gaps within Zambia's internal party structures, political commitments, and policies so that they can effectively respond to environmental challenges both in their respective constituencies and across the nation.
Zambian Parliamentary Caucus On Post-Legislative Scrutiny Caucus
The Caucus was granted permission from the Speaker of the Zambian Parliament to be established in November 2023. The Caucus will be the first body to conduct a post-legislative scrutiny (PLS) study in Zambia. The project taps into the resources and experiences of WFD as experts in PLS as well as the SNP making it a priority within the current parliamentary term of the Scottish Parliament. The PLS will strengthen parliamentarians’ ability to have oversight of legislation and promote law based on outcomes not ideology.
Completed programmes
Regional level policy development: Ra’edat Arab Women Parliamentarians Network for Equality
Ra’edat, or “Pioneers” in English, is a regional parliamentary network of women legislators from 14 countries across the Middle East and North Africa who use their voices to develop policies advocating for gender equality in political representation. SNP WFD supported Ra’edat in developing model policies and delivering trainings to advance female leadership in the region’s parties and legislatures.
Post legislative scrutiny workshop in Pakistan
Pakistan’s National Assembly Climate Change Committee undertook an assessment aimed at improving the committee’s abilities to contribute to overall progress towards international environment/climate treaties and SDGs. The aim of this technical support was to improve the quality of laws related to climate change through a future post-legislative scrutiny (PLS) assessment, showing how the laws impact on the public and how to strengthen institutional accountability.
Combating disinformation in Ukraine
The Committee of Voters of Ukraine (CVU) held training workshops on elections to discuss how voters throughout Ukraine could recognise, avoid and combat Russian disinformation. CVU produced a white paper on propaganda and disinformation during the 2019 election in Ukraine demonstrating how Russia exerts its influence, current gaps existing anti-disinformation policies, and strategies for both effective legislative reform and policies in advance of future elections.
For further information, please contact the SNP WFD Office.
Read the SNP WFD Newsletter April 2023-March 2024 and download the SNP WFD flyer.