Voters in Scotland are being given the chance to quiz politicians – including Scottish LibDem MSP Liam McArthur – and make their voices heard on Scotland’s role in building a greener, fairer world.

Scotland’s International Development Alliance (The Alliance), which represents over 200 diverse organisations operating in over 100 countries, is hosting an online Question Time event to encourage Scottish political parties to include commitments to global sustainable development in their manifestos ahead of the forthcoming Scottish Parliament elections in May.

Scotland for a Fairer World: Question Time will be held on Thursday 11 March from 6.30 to 8pm, chaired by campaigner and writer Talat Yaqoob. The politicians taking part are the SNP’s Jenny Gilruth MSP, Minister for Europe and International Development, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie, the Liberal Democrats’ environment spokesperson Liam McArthur, Scottish Conservative Shadow Economy Secretary Maurice Golden, along with a representative from Scottish Labour.

The Alliance’s five point plan is calling for the next Scottish Government to:

1. Tackle poverty and ensure promoting equality and solidarity with the most vulnerable is at the heart of everything they do
2. Build an economy that puts people and planet first
3. Champion climate justice and pledge support for those hardest hit by climate change
4. Protect and enhance Scotland’s international development work to play it’s part in the fight against global poverty
5. Invest in Global Citizenship education to empower future generations of Scots to build more inclusive, peaceful and secure societies

Alliance chair Simon Anderson said:

This year’s Holyrood elections take place against the backdrop of a world facing multiple crises. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that we live in a truly interconnected world with shared global challenges. Our own economic prosperity and wellbeing can no longer be decoupled from the poverty and environmental threats experienced elsewhere. We now know, more than ever before, that sustainable development is a prerequisite for a fairer world.

The eyes of the world will be on Scotland as we host the international climate change summit (COP26) in Glasgow this November, giving us a platform to show genuine leadership at a critical moment for global climate action.

This is also a critical moment for voters in Scotland to have their voices heard and influence the parties’ election manifestos. The decisions they make now will set the agenda for the next five years of the Scottish Parliament. That’s why we’re asking people in Scotland, along with communities from across the world, to join the Scotland for a Fairer World: Question Time, submit questions to the panel and encourage all parties to set out a bold, internationalist agenda to make Scotland a global leader in tackling poverty and climate change.

Anyone interested in attending the online event can register on Eventbrite. The full Alliance 2021 manifesto is available here.