Month: February 2017

The New International Strategy of the Scottish Parliament

Democracy and governance Parliamentary Political party

February 22, 2017

By Fergus Cochrane, Head of Scottish Parliament’s International Relations Office As a young and evolving parliament, the Scottish Parliament is keen to share its experience with other parliaments across the world and our increased engagement with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) over recent years has contributed to that aim. The Scottish Parliament’s International Strategy sets […]

The real value of regional programmes

Africa Asia Europe MENA Parliamentary Political party

February 22, 2017

Devin O'Shaughnessy, Director of Programmes In some international development circles, the term “regional programme” carries with it a certain stigma. “Expensive…too many international flights…no national impact…unsustainable” are just some of the criticisms lodged against regional programmes. Moreover, the tendency among most major donor agencies to devolve decision-making powers to embassy level leads to minimal demand [...]

Achieving peace: Lessons shared from Northern Ireland to Colombia

Political party Post-conflict

February 15, 2017

The rejection of the peace deal between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) in October 2016 cast doubt on the future of the peace process, but now gives the opportunity for legislators and the parliament to play a central role ensuring any agreement represents all sectors of society. The experience in [...]