International Strategy

1. Increase our presence in EU member states and work to ensure that the European Union remains our strongest partner with whom we share many values and policy ambitions, and with whom we wish to continue to trade as efficiently as possible in the future.

2. Work with Welsh, global diaspora and alumni and significantly increase the number we reach to 500,000 connections, focusing our activity on the key themes in this strategy.

3. Coordinate our international activities and empower key Welsh organisations, including sport and culture, help open doors and enter new, difficult-to access markets to amplify the Welsh voice abroad.

4. Work with the UK Government, particularly with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department for International Trade, the British Council and BBC World Service to increase their profiling of Wales.

5. Build on existing Memoranda of Understanding, by working with governments in our key partner countries and regions to develop relationships whereby Wales can benefit economically, culturally and socially.

6. Growing the contribution that exports make to the Welsh economy by 5%.

7. Ensuring Wales is recognised internationally in specific economic sectors where we are global leaders.

8. Promoting “magnet” projects, which will direct investment to specific parts of Wales.

9. Ensuring Wales is recognised for the impact of its research excellence and for being the best place in the UK for the number of graduate start-ups.

10. Become known internationally as the first country to put the UN sustainability goals into law by promoting the Well-being of Future Generations Act.

11. Offer support to countries that can learn from our experience of increasing the number of people who speak an indigenous language, which was previously under threat.

12. Be known as a world-leading nation for recycling.

13. Establish our reputation for sustainable adventure tourism.

14. Plant a further 15 million trees in the Mbale region of Uganda by 2025 – in addition to the 10 million already planted in the region. We have already helped to protect an area of rainforest twice the size of Wales.

15. Cement our reputation as a Fair Nation – a nation committed to Fair Trade, Fair Work and Fair Play, especially through our work on equality.

16. Establish our reputation as a Nation of Sanctuary committed to human rights and promoting peace.

17. Teach students in Welsh schools to be ethical, informed citizens dedicated to promoting global citizenship, as part of the new national curriculum.

18. Promote Wales as the country that inspired the NHS and holds onto its core values through being the first country in the world to have statutory health impact assessments.

19. Harness digital and social media to create and share stories from Wales with audiences around the world.

20. Enable people, businesses and organisations in Wales to share and use the brand and marketing materials.

21. Encourage UK agencies and international partner brands to work with us to extend the brand’s global reach and impact through innovative co-campaigns and partnerships.

22. Continue to deliver brand-defining campaigns, programmes and projects to help Wales stand out on the world stage, in the model of the themed-years to date in tourism.

23. Develop a digital communications plan to support the international strategy.

24. Raise Wales’ profile by working with Welsh diaspora, alumni and partner organisations, focusing in the first year on the USA and Japan and identifying influential Welsh people around the world. We will do this by mapping alumni and diaspora, as well as activity related to Wales taking place around the world, to create a comprehensive database of Welsh links with an aim to create 500,000 contacts in five years.

25. Raise Wales’ profile by coordinating our international activity with key cultural and sporting organisations to help open doors and enter new, difficult-to-access markets to amplify the Welsh voice abroad.

26. Demonstrate global responsibility by promoting Wales as a welcoming nation, in line with our aspiration to become a Nation of Sanctuary committed to human rights and promoting peace. We will deliver an annual event recognising the contributions made by our migrant communities who have made Wales their home and to celebrate the links between Wales and their homelands.

27. Demonstrate global responsibility through the study of sustainable development and ethical global citizenship as part of the Welsh Baccalaureate. This will ensure Welsh students are informed citizens.

28. Demonstrate global responsibility by promoting Wales as the country that inspired the NHS and holds onto its core values through being the first country in the world to have statutory health impact assessments.

29. Raise Wales’ profile by promoting Wales internationally as a place to train, work and live for healthcare workers.

30. Demonstrate global responsibility by increasing global awareness of Wales as a bilingual nation. We will build on the work undertaken during the UNESCO Year of Indigenous Languages to show how we will increase the numbers and use of Welsh speakers and ensure a legacy develops as a result. We will share our success with other countries in a world where a language dies every other week.

31. Demonstrate global responsibility by building our participation in the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children study.

32. Demonstrate global responsibility by using Curriculum for Wales 2022 so students can carry on the creative tradition of our nation and are equipped with the skills to compete in the global economy, including modern languages.

33. Grow our economy by working with education institutions to increase the number of international students studying in Wales and we will push for continued participation in Erasmus+ and Horizon 2020 (and any successor programmes).

34. Raise Wales’ profile, by exploring the feasibility of teaching Mandarin in secondary schools as part of a long-term vision to establish Wales as a visitor destination for the Chinese market.

35. Demonstrate global responsibility by continuing our work with Vietnam to develop its educational infrastructure through training opportunities, research, collaboration and academic exchanges. We will expand this programme with other partner countries.

36. Raise Wales’ profile by increasing our presence in EU member states and work to ensure that the European Union remains our strongest partner

37. Raise Wales’ profile by working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department of International Trade, other UK Government departments, the British Council and BBC World Service to increase visibility of Wales.

38. Raise Wales’ profile by building on existing Memoranda of Understanding, by working with governments in our key partner countries and regions to develop relationships whereby Wales can benefit economically, socially and culturally.

39. Grow our economy by increasing the contribution that exports make to the Welsh economy by 5 per cent.

40. Grow our economy by ensuring Wales is recognised internationally in specific economic sectors where we are global leaders.

41. Grow our economy by promoting ‘magnet’ projects which will direct investment to specific parts of Wales.

42. Grow our economy by encouraging international collaboration in research globally, where appropriate, and recognising the significant impact that Welsh research is having relative to other nations and regions and underlining our pride in being the best place in the UK for the number of graduate start-ups

43. Grow our economy by increasing the numbers of Welsh businesses exporting internationally and we will continue to support and attract inward investment to Wales.

44. Grow our economy by increasing exports supported by the Welsh Government. Our most important partner will continue to be the European Union. We will support new and existing exporters as they explore new markets, whether as part of business-as-usual activity or in response to post-Brexit arrangements.

45. Grow our economy by delivering quality foreign direct investment across Wales in line with the principles of the Economic Action Plan and through our regional teams, and other organisations across Wales including promoting our magnet projects, to deliver a clear and compelling proposition to investors.

46. Grow our economy by working with organisations, such as M-SParc, to encourage entrepreneurs, using links with Harvard University.

47. Raise Wales’ profile by continuing to prioritise markets in Germany, France, Ireland and North America and develop new opportunities in Asia and the Middle East.

48. Raise Wales’ profile by developing an action plan to embed relationships with our priority European partners of Brittany, Flanders and the Basque Country

49. Demonstrate global responsibility by becoming known as the first country to put the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into law by promoting the Well-being of Future Generations Act.

50. Demonstrate global responsibility by becoming known as a world-leading nation for recycling.

51. Demonstrate global responsibility by planting a further 15 million trees in the Mbale region of Uganda by 2025, in addition to the 10 million that we have already planted.

52. Demonstrate global responsibility by offering support to countries who want to learn from our experiences of increasing the number of people to speak an indigenous language, which was previously under threat.

53. Demonstrate global responsibility by cementing our reputation as a Fair Nation – committed to Fair Trade, Fair Work, Fair Play, especially with regards to equality

54. Raise Wales’ profile by promoting Wales as a centre for adventure tourism and sustainable tourism and increase visitor numbers.

55. Raise Wales’ profile by respecting the potential of tourism to act as a flag-carrier for Wales on the world stage – acting as a means of introducing new audiences to Wales, of creating a sense of welcome, and of creating lifelong relations with future partners the world over.

56. Raise Wales’ profile by increasing our investment in international-quality products, securing major events and in marketing Wales as a world-class tourism destination. We will do this in collaboration with the sector and using insight to inform decision-making.

57. Raise Wales’ profile by developing the Visit Wales offer to promote the unique Wales Coast Path and use Welsh culture and the Welsh language as a differentiating positive factor to promote sustainable tourism to international audiences.

58. Raise Wales’ profile by promoting Wales’ cultural excellence and sporting reputation around the world using major events such as the Rugby World Cup in Japan as a platform to build a legacy for the future.

59. Demonstrate global responsibility by rebranding and expanding the successful Wales for Africa programme to become the Wales and Africa programme with a focus on sustainability.

60. Demonstrate global responsibility by sharing with others our experiences of addressing climate change, and learning from theirs.

61. Demonstrate global responsibility by building on our reputation as a feminist government and develop mutually-beneficial opportunities for women with our partners in Uganda and Lesotho.

62. Raise Wales’ profile by using our experience with the promotion of the Welsh language to work with other countries and become the global leader in this area.

Diaspora engagement

1. Launch initiative around St David’s Day 2021.

2. Build on the initial launch to develop more support in 2021 and beyond.

3. Use the Welsh personalities to support activity at key events where Wales is showcased globally

4. In partnership, develop action plans for each envoy by December 2020 to support delivery of the International Strategy.

5. Announce second cohort of envoys by summer 2021.

6. Use the profile and influence of the envoys to support Welsh Government activity at key international events such as Expo 2020, Cyber UK, COP26 and the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

7. Have members of the business diaspora network in place in priority trading markets by September 2021.

8. In partnership with the network, develop a communications plan to promote the ‘Welsh offer’ within key markets.

9. Appoint external delivery partner by the summer of 2021.

10. Establish KPIs that will measure the economic benefit of engaging with diaspora and ensure that we make the 500,000 diaspora connections by 2025.

11. Provide resources to key diaspora organisations to help us promote the Welsh message in particular around St David’s Day

12. Alongside key partners, develop a diaspora communications plan.

13. Establish and maintain consistent dialogue with the other devolved administrations to share best practice and discuss progress.

14. Leverage the opportunities presented by major events, such as the European football championships 2021 and the Rugby World Cup 2023, to engage with diaspora.

15. Deliver events in collaboration with Global Wales, as part of St David’s Day activity 2021.

16. Develop an alumni communications plan alongside Global Wales and Welsh universities to ensure longer-term engagement with Welsh alumni by the summer of 2021.

17. Hold a minimum of three meetings per year with the individual diaspora engagement organisations to discuss progress, share best practice and decide upon areas for collaborative working.

18. Ensure that the promotion of these organisations and their work is built into communications plans with diaspora.

19. Work with our overseas network to develop country specific diaspora engagement plans for our priority markets.

Priority regional relationships and networks

1. Deepen partnership with Brittany on cyber security with a focus on developing academic partnerships between Welsh and Breton Higher Education Institutions and organising a visit by a Breton cyber delegation to Wales

2. Continue to develop the agri-food relationship and reprogramme the cluster study visit.

3. Continue working in partnership with Brittany (and other European countries) on current INTERREG projects, including the Atlantic Healthy Food Eco-system project (AHFES) and the ValuSect project.

4. Facilitate an inward visit on marine energy to Wales with a view to consolidating relationship and identifying common strengths.

5. Continue to share intelligence with the Regional Government of Brittany on the impact of COVID-19 with a focus on sharing intelligence on health and the tourism sector.

6. Promote and share learning on our approach to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals through the Well-being of Future Generations Act framework.

7. Share learning on decarbonisation and recycling.

8. Provide a strong Welsh flavour to the UK Government’s “Les Voisins on Tour” initiative when it visits the Breton cities of Brest, Rennes and St Malo.

9. Explore the possibility of re-organising the visits from Welsh Further Education colleges to Brittany that were postponed due to COVID-19.

10. Host a conference on cultural rights and cultural democracy for the Breton Vice President for Culture, and a delegation from the museum sector, and progress cultural connections.

11. Continue to build on existing relationships between the Welsh and Breton educational and youth sectors.

12. Develop three sustainable and durable cultural, sporting and/or creative partnerships between Wales and Brittany with at least one to have a focus on the Welsh and Breton languages.

13. Establish three collaborative projects in the priority economic sectors.

14. Organise annual political-level meeting between Wales and Brittany and hold one Wales Week in Brittany and a “focus  on Brittany” activity in Wales.

15. Welsh Government Ministerial visit or virtual visit to the Basque Country.

16. Continue to share intelligence on the impact of COVID-19 with a particular focus on economic resilience and mitigating vulnerabilities.

17. Progress co-operation with the Basque Government on language planning with Basque representatives to visit Wales for the General Assembly of the Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity and associated conference on language and culture.

18. Share experience and learning on the development of the Cymru Wales brand at the next Euskadi Basque Country Day in the Basque Country and continue exchanges on approaches to diaspora engagement.

19. Invite a Basque Minister and companies to Innovation conferences during 2021 and organise a visit from the Basque Cyber Cluster.

20. Invite the Basque Life Sciences cluster to Wales and run a medical devices pilot between both countries.

21. Share information on SMART Innovation Productivity operation, the Welsh Knowledge Transfer Partnership and Open Innovation model and the Cardiff Universities data health check.

22. Arrange a “dissemination” event to be held in 2021, as part of the Interreg Cohes3ion project, which will involve the Basque Country

23. Invite the Basque Digital Innovation Hub and the Welsh Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) to collaborate on projects with the aim of developing a future MoU.

24. Continue to work together and collaborate on tax and health policies, where appropriate, to help deliver for our respective communities.

25. Share learning on our approach to implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the Well-being of Future Generations Act, decarbonisation in the period leading to COP26 and recycling.

26. Invite IKERBASQUE to Wales to share best practice on attracting global scientific talent to our respective countries.

27. Issue a dedicated call for projects focusing on Research & Innovation to complement that published in mid-2020 by the Basque Country.

28. Develop and support three sustainable and durable public diplomacy, soft power or policy led collaboration projects.

29. Establish two durable collaborative initiatives in the field of Innovation involving SMEs.

30. Facilitate and support the relations between respective Cyber and Life Sciences clusters with a view to delivering innovation and commercial outcomes.

31. Invite the Basque Country to participate in future Welsh Government Innovation conferences

32. Explore Basque policies and innovation in the energy sector, with a focus on marine energy and local ownership commitments in energy generation.

33. Organise an annual political level meeting.

34. Hold one Wales Week in the Basque Country and one “focus on the Basque Country” activity in Wales.

35. Develop and deliver a Memorandum of Understanding with an initial focus on tech and cyber security.

36. Work with the UK Government to host a mission from Flanders on cyber security to Cyber UK which will take place in Wales in 2021.

37. Explore the legacy of Wales Remembers/Cymru’n Cofio and support the relationship between the Flemish Peace Institute and Wales’ new Peace Institute/Yr Academi Heddwch.

38. Continue work to identify potential areas for collaboration in relation to health, linking to the work of the World Health Organisation’s European Regions for Health Network (RHN).

39. Develop two collaborative cyber projects between Wales and Flanders.

40. Promote and share learning on our approach to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals through the Well-being of Future Generations Act framework.

41. Explore potential for two further collaborative projects in the other areas identified in the MoU

42. Select successful projects for the first joint Wales-Québec Call for Proposals in autumn 2020 which will focus on sustainability, economic development, and research & innovation, with responding and contributing to the recovery efforts for COVID-19 at the core of each project selected.

43. Facilitate a series of digital events in response to shared learning around COVID-19.

44. Work with the Québec Delegation in London to facilitate collaboration between Québec and Team Wales on the impact of COVID-19 and beyond. Québec has expressed an interest in collaborating with Wales on a COVID Biobank in addition to other key industrial sectors.

45. Continue to plan with Wales Arts International to bring a delegation of Welsh artists to Montréal in May 2021 for the biennial CINARS festival of performing arts, and highlight Wales as part of promotional activity around this.

46. Establish a work stream regarding French immersion education and adult teaching of French in Québec with the policy aim of establishing a policy exchange between the Office Québecois de la langue française and relevant divisions of the Welsh Government and its partner organisations.

47. Re-orient work with Aerospace Wales and Aéro Montréal on joint activity around Farnborough with collaboration on preparing our respective supply chains for a post-COVID-19 world, and the future of the aerospace industry.

48. Develop the relationship with the Québec Government and commence a programme of Ministerial visits

49. Deepen collaboration between Genome Québec and the Cardiff University Biobank, encouraging further expansion of collaborative projects between Québec, the Digital Health Ecosystem Wales and SAIL Databank.

50. Develop a partnership with a Québec-based party in the field of neurology, building on the strength of CUBRIC in Cardiff, in collaboration with the Chief Scientific Advisor’s office.

51. Promote and share learning on our approach to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals through the Well-being of Future Generations Act.

52. Consider the International networks in which the Welsh Government participates in the light of the future UK-EU relationship.

53. Provide support for the engagement of Welsh organisations in international networks when there are clear benefits to Wales and alignment with the Welsh Government priorities.

54. Welsh Government to maintain leadership positions in at least two international networks.

55. Create new international network of regional cultural agencies involving initially all our priority regions.

International Relations through Public Diplomacy and Soft Power

1. We will agree a shared action plan with the Future Generations Commissioner to align activities internationally, utilising connections at the United Nations and platforms such as the World Expo in Dubai and COP26 to promote and demonstrate how a well-being of future generations approach can help drive positive action on the world’s greatest problems.

2. We will build on the success of the “Future is now” event held in Berlin earlier this year as part of Wales in Germany 2021.

3. We will continue our joint work with Ireland and build on the first visit of representatives of the Future Leaders Academy to Dublin and the ongoing relationship with Ireland’s UN Youth representatives. We will build on the Future Generations focus at this year’s St David’s Day activity in Ireland through continued cooperation and shared commitment to Sustainability, which will be reflected in our joint Statement of Intent with Ireland.

4. We will build on the role the Future Generations Leadership Academy can play in promoting the Well-being of Future Generations Act across the world.

5. We will continue to play an active role in the Regions4SD network, sharing and engaging with regional and sub-national governments committed to sustainable development.

6. We will continue to play an active role in the Well-being Economy Government Network, sharing Wales experience with other countries to put well-being at the heart of our economy

7. Our international offices will identify opportunities to promote the Well-being of Future Generations Act in countries annually.

8. We will put the Future Generations focus at the core of our ongoing engagement with the EU, and its Member States and regions, in Brussels.

9. We will continue to be an active member of the Under2Coalition Steering Group for Europe, the global community of state and regional governments committed to ambitious climate action in line with the Paris Agreement.

10. We will continue to engage with our valued stakeholders and citizens as we work to develop and deliver our second Low Carbon Delivery Plan and play a full part in the UN Climate Change Conference,

11. Through action outlined in our Wales and Africa Action Plan we will help to address the devastating impact that climate change is having on parts of the African continent.

12. In response to the climate emergency, we will raise our ambition of our emissions targets, and increase Wales’ 2050 emissions reduction target to 95%. We will ask Senedd Cymru to put this into law

13. We will share our experience and learnings through our existing international networks, through our MoUs and our Declaration of Intent with key partners.

14. We will demonstrate to our international partners how we have gone from the worst country in recycling to one of the best in a short amount of time.

15. We will reflect the actions of the Race Equality Action Plan, where relevant, in our work internationally.

16. We will recognise and celebrate our diverse and vibrant communities in Wales through digital campaigns and events, celebrating days such as Diwali, and underlining our relationships with Bangladesh, Poland and Ireland in particular.

17. We will promote our commitment to diversity through encouraging partnerships such as the Welsh Government – Alabama partnership.

18. We will work with our key partners to promote our shared values and principles, e.g. International Pride Week, International Peace Day, International Women’s Day, Windrush Day and through events in Wales.

19. We will explore supporting the Peace Academy of Wales, including how to facilitate connections with other Peace Institutes globally

20. We will, through our Wales and Africa Action Plan, promote the concept of a Fair Nation, linking Fair Trade, diversity and inclusion and supporting women’s empowerment in Lesotho and Uganda.

21. We will commission an independent rapid review of current international health activity and the existing international health infrastructure in Wales. The review will include mapping the role of the Welsh Government and its interface between key organisations involved in international engagement in Wales with a view to developing recommendations to further support the delivery of the International Strategy

22. We will mark the centenary of the Wales Peace Petition working with partners in Wales and the US in 2023-24.

23. We will continue to develop links with the UN through the UK mission, World Bank and UNESCO to help promote our values internationally

24. We will develop strategic partnerships with Wales Arts International and British Council Wales to ensure better alignment of activities internationally, including ensuring cultural presence at Welsh Government-led international activations such as Wales in Germany Year 2021 and World Expo in Dubai 2021-22.

25. Where appropriate, we will support partner-led activations, such as Year of Wales at Celtic Connections in 2022, Wales in Venice and Wales in Edinburgh and associated legacy programmes. We will also work with the British Council to ensure that Wales is well represented in its UK in Australia 2021 initiative.

26. We will support the delivery of a national virtual event led by BBC Wales in early 2021

27. We will develop a global virtual St David’s Day with a range of partners in 2021 and continue to deliver and support Wales Week activities. We will provide resources to the FCDO, British Council and Embassies to promote our messages.

28. We will ensure Welsh representation at key cultural networking events for global audiences such as ISPA, (International Society for Performing Arts) IETM (International network for contemporary performing arts) and Aerowaves.

29. We will invite international partners and delegations to experience our culture first-hand, including at our Eisteddfodau and Hay Festival, focussing on the links between culture, well-being, youth and community.

30. We will work in partnership with the British Council to encourage Welsh content in British Council Cultural Seasons, particularly when they align with our strategic priorities.

31. We will undertake an activity mapping exercise over the next five years to better align and amplify Wales’ presence internationally with our partners.

32. We will provide Wales’ arts and sports organisations with resources to amplify our message. We will build better relationships with key excellent amateur organisations so that they can perform on behalf of our nation when they go abroad.

33. We will support the work of Creative Wales internationally across the priority sub-sectors of film and TV; digital and gaming; music; and publishing with the Books Council of Wales.

34. We will support Creative Wales to promote Wales’ diverse, creative and innovative communities to the world during Festival 2022.

35. We will through our Priority Regional Relationships and Networks Action Plan encourage cultural collaborations between Wales and priority regional relationships.

36. We will engage with UNESCO during its preparations for a decade of indigenous languages from 2022.

37. We will disseminate our video introducing the Welsh language to the world to our international offices for their use as part of public diplomacy.

38. We will host the international Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity (NPLD) conference in Wales in the summer of 2021

39. We will play a leading role in championing the interests of minority languages globally, and be an active participant in the UNESCO decade of indigenous languages.

40. We will continue through our bilateral agreements with Ireland, Quebec, Brittany and the Basque Country, to share experiences and learnings on language planning.

41. We will continue to play a leading role in the work of the international Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity

42. We will work on developing a MoU between Wales and Japan to cement the legacy of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and use the Olympics/ Paralympics as a platform to raise further the profile of Wales in Japan.

43. We will partner with the Football Association Wales (FAW) to make the most of opportunities to showcase Wales in the lead up to and during Euro 2021.

44. We will utilise the Commonwealth Games 2022 and, if Wales qualify, the Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 to promote Wales, working with relevant partners to deliver this activity.

45. We will look to promote Wales during the Rugby World Cup in 2023 and Olympics /Paralympics 2024, both of which will be held in France.

46. We will work with our Major Events team and sector lead bodies to attract international sporting, as well as business and cultural events to Wales.

47. We will convene stakeholders to promote international sporting events to maximise resources and impact.

48. We will encourage and develop further collaborations between sports and arts at key events.

49. We will support Future Generations Future Leaders network activity internationally at the UN Youth Forum in New York and One Young World Summit in Munich in 2021.

50. We will support Global Wales’ (the Welsh Universities global partnership group) post COVID-19 marketing messages utilising our networks internationally, including the fact that there are more business start-ups from universities in Wales compared to other parts of the UK.

51. We will ensure youth play a central part of our major events – e.g. Wales in Germany, World Expo and COP26.

52. We will attend and participate in Atlantic Rim Collaboratory Summit to continue exchanging good practice and learn from other members.

53. Where possible, we will collaborate on joint events and initiatives with Global Wales in priority countries, focusing on North America, India and Vietnam.

54. We will support the Urdd’s work internationally through a strategic partnership.

55. We will encourage Youth Parliament international links and facilitate introductions internationally.

56. We will engage with alumni internationally through a Diaspora Engagement Action Plan in partnership with Welsh universities.

57. We will continue to provide our young people with the opportunities to gain international experience through the Seren network and Global Wales Discover, and provide opportunities for young people from the US, Vietnam, India, and the EU to study in Wales through scholarships such as Gilman, Fulbright, Chevening and the Global Wales Postgraduate Scholarship Programme.

58. We will continue, through our Priority Regional Relationships and Networks Action Plan, to encourage innovation and collaboration, through initiatives such as a joint call for projects with the Government of Québec and through a new Cyber and Tech MoU with the Government of Flanders.

59. We will through the chairing of the 2020 Vanguard Initiative, continue to encourage collaborative projects, promoting take-up of key enabling technologies.

60. We will continue, through our international network and partners, to share learnings on COVID-19 to aid our recovery.

61. We will showcase our Universities world leading research capabilities at World Expo in Dubai 2021-22.

62. Through our joint Statement of Intent with Ireland, we will launch the inaugural St David’s Day and St Patrick’s Day lectures in Ireland and Wales.

63. We will produce resources to demonstrate the impact of Welsh research, illustrating the success of our universities output.

64. We will continue the Sêr Cymru programme until March 2023 and explore ways to continue the programme beyond 2023 (end of ERDF funding period) with continued international focus in relevant areas.

65. Our international network will continue to support our universities through facilitating international introductions and encourage partnerships globally.

66. We will hold two meetings a year to ensure we are coordinating our activities across Welsh Government and with other organisations working abroad, including education, civil society, sports and cultural organisations.

67. We will convene Stakeholder Working Groups around specific events such as Wales in Germany 2021, World Expo Dubai 2021-22 and COP26.

68. We will continue to encourage cultural, research and educational collaborations and exchange through our existing Memorandum of Understanding and Declaration of Intent. We will publish a new joint statement and action plan with Ireland in autumn 2020.

69. We will, where appropriate, work in partnership with UK Government departments and the British Council to help deliver this action plan and promote Wales’ distinct and diverse assets.

70. We will further strengthen our relationships with the diplomatic corps in London, and the Consul Generals and Honorary Consuls in Wales, focusing on our key strategic relationships.

71. We will ensure that our international offices incorporate this plan into their Business Planning, focusing on the areas in this plan where they will add most value in their respective geographies.

72. We will build Return on Influence metrics into our evaluations of key events and activity internationally (e.g. World Expo Dubai 2021-22 and Wales in Germany 2021).

73. We will evaluate the results of the Anholt survey and consider how we can use surveys to track Wales’ ranking relative to other countries, over the next five years.

74. We will evaluate our actions against the goals of the Well-being of Future Generations Act, and undertake an integrated impact assessment for all our action plans.

Wales and Africa

1. Plant and nurture at least 25 million trees in Uganda by 2025 to support alleviation of poverty and tackle climate change.

2. Support the development of a major pan-African Tree Planting project through groups across Wales, and seek the support of the UK government to deliver it.

3. Strengthen our Grants Scheme with a greater emphasis on adding value between partnerships whilst measuring and recognising their contribution.

4. Promote the adoption of fair and ethical trade across Wales and the concept of a Fair Nation, linking Fair Trade, diversity and inclusion.

5. Support the delivery of the commitments of the NHS Wales Charter for International Health Partnerships.

6. Support a pilot Gender Equality Programme in both Lesotho and Uganda.

7. Promote and achieve the highest standards in Safeguarding ensuring that the voice and agency of the poor and excluded groups is always considered in how the programme operates.

8. Use global opportunities such as Wales in Germany 2021, World Expo Dubai 2021-22, the annual World Health Organisation Assembly and COP26 to promote the Welsh Government’s approach to international development as a globally responsible nation and to forge new partnerships.

9. We will support the distribution of over 3m trees every year in Uganda – one for every person in Wales with a target of 25m by 2025.

10. We will work closely with partners to continue to professionalise and strengthen key aspects of the project programme and to drive up standards, particularly in governance, gender and safeguarding.

11. We will support an improved data capture system in Uganda to better track the location and survival rates of the trees that are distributed for monitoring and evaluation purposes.

12. We will support the development of a major pan-African Tree Planting project with groups across Wales, and seek the support of the UK government to deliver it. We will also promote the concept to other governments and organisations around the world, including at COP26.

13. The Welsh Government will continue to fund capacity building for civil society with an enhanced focus on Safeguarding quality, anti-racist practices, solidarity amongst marginalised groups and sustainable development that builds resilience to global pandemics and climate change.

14. We will extend the Grants Scheme under its current arrangements for a further year in 2021-22 and conduct a review of how the impact of small grants can best be delivered and captured.

15. We will give consideration to focusing the next round of grants, due to be opened in early 2021, on helping partnerships adapt to the challenges of COVID-19 and the Climate Emergency

16. During the period of ILO programme suspension, we will review our ILO recruitment, safeguarding and reporting procedures. We will also consult with our African ILO partners about ways to further improve the impact of placements and investigate ways of enhancing placements through the use of IT to deliver against the International Strategy.

17. We will relaunch the programme with an emphasis on encouraging members of the African diaspora to volunteer.

18. We will investigate the possibility of opening the programme in Somaliland.

19. We will support partner organisations to deliver on the Welsh Government’s commitment to be a Feminist government by funding gender specific partnerships between Wales, Lesotho and Uganda.

20. The Welsh Government will continue to work closely with both projects to ensure that maximum impact and publicity is achieved.

21. We will continue to work cross-departmentally, focussing on procurement, education and business, to deepen understanding and support for Fair Trade.

Export Action Plan

1. Make our temporarily expanded network of International Trade Advisers (ITA), a permanent feature of our team in Wales. The network is based pan-Wales and will ensure there are experts ‘on the ground’ in all parts of Wales providing advice and support on exports to businesses.

2. Through our overseas based staff, promote their respective markets, the export opportunities available to Welsh businesses and the support they can provide via a new and ongoing programme of one-to-many webinars and one-to-one video conferences with Wales based companies.

3. Ensure the ITA network works alongside our Business Wales service, which provides support to micro business, SMEs and business with high growth potential who have exporting as a business priority.

4. Continue to provide a telephone helpline service and digital platform for all in-bound micro and SME enquiries including exporting, through our Business Wales service.

5. Deliver a renewed export exemplar marketing campaign showcasing our successful exporters to inspire other businesses.

6. Follow up with businesses which have received support from the Welsh Government Economy Futures Fund under the Exports and Trade Call to Action to ensure export support is readily available to them to support achievement of their objectives.

7. Ensure our support for exports (across all export journey steps) will be conditional and we will be clear from the outset our expectation that in return for our support, businesses will need to provide a return on investment as well as supporting our efforts to broaden our reach to other businesses in Wales.

8. Proactively identify businesses with ‘untapped export potential’ (including through our Business and Regions Teams) to encourage exporting.

9. Pilot an innovative ‘new exporter’ programme to provide intensive support to a small number of businesses with the ambition and potential to become new exporting businesses from Wales (as a means to grow the number of businesses exporting in Wales on a regular and sustainable basis).

10. Deliver an annual Export Conference to promote the benefits of exporting to businesses across Wales, providing an opportunity for them to find out about market opportunities, export procedures and the support available from Welsh Government and our delivery partners.

11. Increase the number of businesses that we are engaging with on exports.

12. Increase our capacity to support exporters though EU Transition, using in house, outsourced and partner expertise to help resolve both short and longer term issues and challenges.

13. Undertake a proactive and targeted campaign to contact existing Welsh exporters (including our Major Exporters) to ascertain the impact of COVID-19 on their export business and put in place an appropriate package of export programme support.

14. Continue to deliver our International Trade Development (ITD) programme to support market research/qualification, and ensure it is adapted to ascertain the post COVID-19 markets landscape, what it means for businesses, and thereby providing vital intelligence on how to prepare for the future.

15. Develop a new framework for ‘Export Clusters’ in Wales to systematically build capacity and capability for exporting on a one-to-many basis. This will initially be a pilot programme for one of our key sectors and will build on the model of the Food and Drink Wales Export Club.

16. Deliver (in conjunction with delivery partners) a structured programme of in-Wales events/seminars (on a virtual basis in the immediate term) to raise awareness of market opportunities and export processes on a one-to-many basis.

17. Bolster our digital support for exports by introducing new online ‘bite-size’ training modules on export topics within the Business Wales Business Online Support Service (BOSS) for businesses that are new to exporting; and our Export Zone, including our new Export Hub providing in-depth guidance on all aspects of exporting.

18. Deliver dedicated support to exporters through our International Manager for Hire (IM4H) grant programme which will help mitigate the risks of exiting the EU and build resilience capability to help safeguard existing business with the EU and/ or identify further opportunities in non-EU markets

19. Help and encourage companies to develop their export capabilities through an Export Training Grant providing targeted support for staff to undertake accredited export related training.

20. Expand our International Trade Development (ITD) programme to include e-commerce advice for exporters, particularly to support online platforms for selling and marketing.

21. (subject to a successful pilot) Expand our Export Cluster programme to include more key sectors.

22. Encourage SMEs to use Welsh Government’s SMARTCymru programme to ‘innovate to export’ in order to improve market readiness and strengthen intellectual property.

23. Deliver targeted and regular communication/newsletter updates as a means to further ‘reach out’ to our Welsh businesses, providing regular updates on market trends and emerging opportunities.

24. Continue to deliver our International Trade Opportunities (ITO) programme to support businesses in identifying suitable in-market customers. We will ensure the programme is adapted to support businesses which may have lost significant international sales due to COVID-19, to help them ‘re-connect’ with international customers or find new ones to ‘replace’ those lost. We will also offer the ITO programme on a fully subsidised basis for a time limited period.

25. Introduce a new ‘virtual meeting arranging’ service through the ITO programme as a means to further enable businesses to meet with potential customers/partners in overseas markets.

26. Place a greater emphasis on our Welsh Government Overseas Offices identifying potential business opportunities in their respective markets that could be matched with and contested by Wales based businesses.

27. Ensure our London office will facilitate connections with representatives from overseas markets including embassies, high commissions and chambers of commerce to support Welsh exporters.

28. Deliver a new online ‘Buy from Wales’ directory that will enable overseas buyers to contact Welsh suppliers more easily as a means to facilitate greater trading opportunities.

29. Support major exporters by providing strategic intelligence and insight, introductions and advice to exploit opportunities in new markets.

30. Maximise our cultural and sporting relations, soft power and economic diplomacy to full effect to showcase our major exporters in their strategic markets.

31. Review our overseas trade events programme to focus on the markets and sectors outlined earlier in this plan whilst also embracing those major cultural and sporting events that can provide opportunities for our exporters.

32. Introduce the delivery of new ‘virtual market visits’ working closely with our Overseas Offices and where necessary with other in-market partners including DIT and Chambers of Commerce. This will further support our broader commitments on sustainability and encouraging less international travel.

33. Continue to offer our Overseas Business Development Visit (OBDV) grant support to assist businesses to travel independently to develop new export business. In the immediate term, we expect a reduction in the demand for this, given travel restrictions, however, where businesses are able to travel, we will expand the eligibility for the grant (for a limited period) to support businesses to recover business in existing markets (as well as for new business opportunities) as a means to further support export recovery.

34. Through our Overseas Offices, deliver in-market events and activities, for example, briefings, making in-market contacts (DIT, chambers, clusters, networks), online pre-mission webinars to support businesses preparation.

35. Through our Overseas Offices, provide ‘on the ground’ support to Welsh businesses undertaking export focused visits to their region whether as part of a visiting trade delegation or independently.

36. Use any presence at overseas exhibitions as a means to also promote Wales as a premier location for inward investment, particularly where there is alignment between either the sector focus of the event or the market where the event is held with Wales’ core investment propositions.

37. Through our Overseas Offices, identify in market export activities within their regions, to directly inform overall planning for trade events and particularly in conjunction with other in-market partners, such as DIT, chambers, and cluster networks.

38. Through our Overseas Offices, showcase products and services and use office facilities (where possible) to facilitate in-market meetings and events.

39. Commission future research on priority target export markets and sectors to ensure that our activity, including our events programme, is focused on the right markets and opportunities (particularly to better understand the post-COVID-19 landscape). This will also take into account opportunities linked to the UK’s developing trade policy and future trade agreements.

40. Engage regularly with DIT in the UK and overseas to share best practice and align delivery of support.

41. As part of our Diaspora Plan, work with the business focussed diaspora in key markets who can support ‘opening doors’ to export opportunities for Welsh businesses, by identifying potential in-market opportunities and supporting Welsh business interests in overseas markets.

42. Work with partners including Chambers of Commerce; representative bodies such as the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Institute of Directors (IOD) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), and intermediaries including accountancy and legal firms to deliver events and awareness sessions.

43. Work with UK Export Finance (UKEF), the Development Bank of Wales and others to ensure that exporters in Wales have access to finance for their export contracts.

44. Ensure that Welsh businesses have sight of and access to supply chain opportunities generated by UKEF’s support for major overseas projects.

45. Work with sector organisations in Wales and across the UK to deliver our Export Cluster programme.

46. Bring partners together periodically and as part of our Export Conference to share experiences of supporting exporters and to explore opportunities to refine our support to meet current and future needs.

47. Host UK government staff and teams (including DIT) visits to Wales to raise awareness of Welsh export capabilities.