Following the General Election on 4th July 2024, MP Anneliese Dodds has been appointed as the Minister for International Development. Scotland’s International Development Alliance and our members welcome Anneliese into her new post, and look forward to working together to address critical issues facing the global sustainable development sector in Scotland and the UK.
On her appointment, Anneliese said:
“I am honoured to be appointed Minister for International Development at FCDO, & Women and Equalities. I will rebuild our development reputation in genuine partnership with the Global South to deliver economic growth, climate action, and equality in all we do.”
We welcome this commitment to partnership with our colleagues in the Global South, and hope for a shared interest to promote a changed narrative on ‘development’ and ‘aid’ to support and encourage a more inclusive and participatory approach and to support the global redistribution of wealth and power whilst recognising the UK’s historical responsibilities.
A further priority for the coming years is to encourage and grow active global citizenship throughout the public, to engage a wider network of people to take actions that support sustainable change and promote global solidarity. We are hopeful that Anneliese’s combined responsibility for Women and Equalities will provide the opportunity to ensure that women and girls are kept front and centre of all development decisions.
Finally, we look forward to working with Anneliese on the crucial issue of development finance. Our members overwhelmingly call for the immediate reinstatement of spending at least 0.7% of Gross National Income on Official Development Assistance, with a view to increasing this percentage during the next Parliamentary term.