Scotland can play an active, powerful and compassionate role in the world, promoting sustainable solutions, human rights, peace and democracy. This goes hand in hand with efforts to increase gender equality. Advocates of gender budget analysis argue that reduced spending on defence and war is crucial to balanced public spending that promotes sustainability and allows investment in social infrastructure, such as social care and childcare. In terms of Europe, the Scottish Greens Women’s Network is campaigning for the UK to remain in the European Union.

• Peace. The Scottish Green Party has long championed the causes of oppressed and dispossessed peoples. Green MSPs would support measures to curtail the global arms trade by cutting support to enterprises involved in arms sales to human rights abusers. We will encourage pension funds to divest from these enterprises and pursue every possible avenue to pressure Westminster into getting rid of Trident. We will actively campaign for the establishment of nuclear weapon free zones in Europe and the Middle East. 
• Scottish Green WomIN for EU membership. Women benefit from a range of EU protections and initiatives, including in terms of equal pay, women’s rights, pregnancy and maternity discrimination in the workplace, and action and funding to tackle violence against women. The Scottish Green Party and our Women’s Network strongly believe that continued membership of the EU is in the best interests of everyone in Scotland. We will campaign for a ‘Green In’ at the upcoming referendum. 
• Solidarity against austerity. Unfortunately, Scotland’s experience of ideologically driven cuts to public services, and the devastating impact this is having on women and children, is not unique in Europe. Green MSPs will join hands with peoples across the continent to oppose ideologically-driven economic austerity.