New ministerial appointments and portfolios have been announced by the First Minister, following the recent Scottish Parliament election. Scotland’s International Development Alliance warmly welcomes the appointment of Simita Kumar MSP as the new Minister for Equalities and International Development.
This is the first time since 2024 a Scottish Government Minister has had specific responsibility for International Development in their job title. Other appointments that will help shape Scotland’s global footprint and impact include Stephen Gethins MSP as Minister for External Affairs and Gillian Martin MSP as Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action.
In a joint letter to the First Minister, John Swinney MSP, the Chief Executives of SIDA (Frances Guy), Scottish Fair Trade (Louise Davies) and the Scotland-Malawi Partnership (Stuart Brown), said:
“We warmly welcome your personal commitment to Scotland’s role as a responsible global citizen, and your decision to see the work of some of our members and their partners supported by Scottish Government funding during your visit to Malawi and Zambia last year… We hope these different Ministers and portfolios will serve as champions for an approach to policy development that ensures coherence across Government regarding Scotland’s global impact and footprint.”
The welcome letter also highlighted the policy priorities which we and our members published in the run up to the election, with actions the new Scottish Parliament and Government can take between 2026 and 2031. These priorities are stepping stones towards our shared vision of a more globally aware Scotland that works to reduce inequalities through joined-up action on poverty, injustice, climate and environmental threats.
We have also written directly to welcome Minister Kumar, and hope to continue the positive working relationship we have enjoyed with her predecessors.
pic: The Scottish Government