 The final item of business today is a member's business debate on motion number 11272, in the name of Jim Eadie, on the 35th anniversary of Mercy Corps. Mr Eadie will be concluded without any questions being put. I would be grateful if those members who wish to speak in the debate could press the request to speak buttons now. I call on Jim Eadie to open the debate up to seven minutes, please, Mr Eadie. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I begin by thanking members from across the chamber who have signed the motion in my name and who have stayed behind for the debate this evening. I would also like to welcome the staff of Mercy Corps and the Edinburgh University student charity group who have joined us in the gallery. Scotland is literally leading the world in international development through the work of Mercy Corps whose European headquarters are based here in Edinburgh. As well as celebrating 35 years of one of the leading organisations in this field, the purpose of this debate is to focus attention on Scotland's impact and commitment to international development. Before focusing on the activities of Mercy Corps, I would like to pay tribute to some of the other leading actors in this field in Scotland. Skiaf, the official aid and development charity of the Catholic Church in Scotland, working in 16 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Mary's Meals, who are feeding almost one million school children every day. Christian Aid Scotland, who are working globally to eradicate poverty and are one of Scotland's largest voluntary organisations with 600 volunteer groups based in churches. Oxfam Scotland, who campaign for an end to poverty and to raise awareness of climate justice. As you can see, this sector is rich and varied, and at the helm is NIDOS, the network of development organisations in Scotland who do fantastic work in promoting collaboration across the sector. Mercy Corps Scotland has a total income of over £45 million. It supports country programmes in 34 countries around the world. There are 40 people in the Edinburgh office who are employed as programme officers, international finance officers, compliance managers and fundraisers who cover the broad spectrum of fundraising. Mercy Corps' work covers the range of activity from immediate disaster relief such as providing urgent water, food and shelter in the Gaza crisis last year. Here, it is worth noting that Mercy Corps has the largest humanitarian presence on the ground in Gaza after the United Nations to immediate recovery, such as its prevention of child soldiers programme in Colombia or its water and sanitation programme in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which over the next five years will bring water to 1.5 million people. Ultimately, through to resilience, such as their programme in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, that programme is creating two equal zones to strengthen capacity to withstand climate change. So far, 12 pilot projects have been implemented in innovative sustainable land management to address desertification, overgrazing, deforestation and water management problems. By combining those three areas of focus, immediate humanitarian response, rapid economic recovery and long-term resilience and self-reliance, Mercy Corps takes a distinct approach to international development work and creates a vehicle for lasting sustainable improvement in people's lives. It innovates and uses technology wherever possible, such as its programmes in Uganda, Zimbabwe and Indonesia, to improve food security. It is developing a suite of mobile-based products for small-holder farmers to provide them with market information and financial management practices to increase farm productivity. Mercy Corps often begins working in a country during a humanitarian crisis in which their immediate action saves lives and reduces suffering. Then, just as quickly, they extend their efforts to economic empowerment initiatives. In this way, they help communities to rapidly recover from the crisis and also create mechanisms to increase their resilience to shocks and setbacks that are likely to occur. Mercy Corps takes a distinct approach to international development work and simply put, where others see intractable problems and are looking for opportunities for progress. They know that local people are the best agents of the fastest, most durable economic recovery, and that is why 93 per cent of their staff is local to the countries in which they work. Closer to home, Mercy Corps has worked closely with a range of organisations through the Edinburgh Disasters Response Committee. Mercy Corps and EDRC have been running a Christmas appeal for the past six weeks, in previous years with the generous support of the people of Edinburgh. They raised an incredible £430,000 for Haity and a further £200,000 for Pakistan. Last year was an unprecedented year for the humanitarian field. The world now has the highest number of people displaced since 1945. The UN declared four of the world's humanitarian crises level three, the organisation's highest designation. They are Iraq, South Sudan, Syria and the Central African Republic. Those are all countries where Mercy Corps is working on the ground. 2015 is going to be a watershed year. March will be the fourth anniversary of the commencement of the conflict in Syria, and Mercy Corps currently has the largest DFID-funded response programme in Syria. The rise in chronic crises is an area that Mercy Corps is working on as they continue their work on economic development in fragile and conflict-prone states. That is something that we all have to pay attention to as the Ebola crisis in West Africa has shown. Complex emergencies are now impacting on longer-term development. Also this year, the current millennium development goals will come to an end, and new ones will be set. It is time to consider what should be the role of Scotland, what can we do as a society to help. The Scottish Government's international development fund, and here I pay tribute to international development ministers past and present, has done great work in pursuit of the millennium development goals. How, then, will they change to reflect the evolving development priorities? We must pay more attention to complex emergencies that impact on development and the role of young people in that, recognising that unemployed and disenfranchised young people are critical to economic development and conflict resolution. I am proud that the Scottish Government, with cross-party support, has provided assistance to humanitarian emergencies over the last decade, fulfilling Scotland's role as a good global citizen. That has included the 2010 monsoon floods in Pakistan, the conflict in Syria, Typhoon Haiyan, last summer's crisis in Gaza and, most recently, the struggle against Ebola in West Africa. I believe that we need to develop a strategy to better respond to humanitarian crises in a more deliberate and proactive way. Mercy Corps and others have already been discussing how the Scottish Government responds to humanitarian crises, and we should consider how we formalise the process for triggering humanitarian aid and whether we set up a separate humanitarian fund. Scotland's impact on the world is not limited to its international development and aid policies, and how Scottish companies operate internationally, the consumer choices that people in Scotland make and a whole range of other government policies, including energy, climate and procurement, all have a major global impact. We also need to mainstream gender equality and women's empowerment to all of our international development programmes and ensure that they are at the heart of development work in the areas of education, health and employment. Let us congratulate Mercy Corps, whose projects over the last 35 years have improved beyond measure the lives of 229 million people in 115 countries across our planet. Let us pay tribute to all the staff and volunteers who have made this work possible and let us wish them well in the work that they do in the years ahead. Thank you very much. We now turn to the open debate. Speeches of four minutes, please. Malcolm Chisholm, to be followed by David Torrance. I congratulate Jim Eadie on bringing the motion to the chamber and the opportunity to join him in recognising the truly global impact of Mercy Corps. In the 35th year of operation, it is right that we look back at their positive legacy in building resilient communities in times of crisis. As the motion points out, Mercy Corps are active within communities in more than 40 countries and are funded entirely through charitable donations. They work with a clear vision to build more sustainable solutions to the problems born of poverty, civil war, long-term economic hardship, religious persecution and social exclusion. The success of the charity lies in their extensive knowledge of the communities and their contacts at the grassroots, which help them to form supportive networks across sectors and build resilience. As they put it, Mercy Corps often entered during a humanitarian crisis, moved rapidly to recovery and then build long-term resilience to recurring stresses. Understanding how those recurring stresses emerge depends on their presence and contacts within the community. In all the situations, the use of community-led solutions forms the heart of the Mercy Corps strategy. They do that using the emergency technologies of each developing country and give specific focus to promoting gender equality, recognising that doing so is an integral part of sustainable social and economic solutions. They do that in the face of truly global problems—poverty, conflict, weak governance, climate change, an increase in population and food insecurity—are all cited in the strategic road map as both the cause of many long-term humanitarian crises and the barriers to tackling them. Two countries mentioned in the motion that I would like to touch on briefly on Haïti and Gaza. On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haïti. Many members will recall the devastating impact that it had on the country, particularly in the capital of Fortefrancs, where there were estimates of between 220,000 and 316,000 victims. Over 300,000 more people were injured. The Mercy Corps reps on the ground worked to ensure that the immediate needs of survivors, including food, water and post-trauma recovery, were addressed as a priority. That included 9.5 million litres of fresh water through water vouchers, purification tabs and high-capacity water filtration units. They also distributed more than 100,000 hygiene kits. Following that, they provided temporary jobs to more than 28,000 people who worked to clean up and begin rebuilding their communities. They also helped to restart the local economy by providing more than 180,000 Haïtians with a cash transfer programme to purchase essentials for local markets. That action allowed something of normal life to return to residents who had been so badly traumatised. A second example, of course, is Gaza. The horrors of Gaza are fresh in everyone's mind after recent events. In the midst of that intense conflict and frequent bombing in civilian areas, Mercy Corps were on the ground distributing urgent supplies of food and water. They also distributed hygiene kits with essentials such as soap, towels, toothbrushes and toothpaste and heavy tarps that families could use as temporary shelter materials. They also held psychosocial sessions and still do, I believe, which helped children to express their feelings after severe trauma and teach parents how to deal with signs of psychological stress. Those happened before the two most recent wars, and they will continue as a key local service that is needed more with each year that passes. Those are just two examples of how the work of Mercy Corps varies according to the situation. The salient factor in all circumstances is that they are rooted within the community, a constant and stable presence that understands the complexities of towns, cities, regions and countries and how to form local solutions. Those local solutions can be built on year by year as a community heals. The scale of their ambitions and the scale of those achievements is truly remarkable, and I urge all members present and all absent members to visit their site and read the inspirational stories as well as watch the videos that come from or videos that come from around the world. I congratulate Jim Eadie again on bringing forward the motion, which I fully support. Thank you very much, and I now call David Torrance to be followed by Cameron Buchanan. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I thank Jim Eadie for bringing the motion to the chamber today, and I extend my congratulations to Mercy Corps on the celebration of the 35th anniversary. Since its establishment in 1979, Mercy Corps has, through its various activities, made a real difference to an increasing number of people. Currently, the organisation is implementing projects in over 34 countries, ranging from warntown regions such as Syria and Gaza to countries that have pleaded to hit by natural disasters in Cadiadie and Sri Lanka. Considering the devastating situation, many people are faced with on the other basis in these many other countries. I believe that we have a responsibility as an affluent nation to help, having recognised its role as a modern global citizen. Scotland is committed to contributing to a fight against global poverty. I would like to express my solidarity with Mali today, as the country was hit by severe floods last week. At least 176 people have died so far, more than 200,000 lost their homes, and continue heavy rainfall is forecast in the coming weeks. Mali's president has appealed for international assistance, as the catastrophe has hit one of the poorest regions in the world, and the country itself is not able to counteract the immediate damage and put in place a plan to help the country to rebuild structurally and economically. That is why I welcome the help that the First Minister has offered this week. Besides providing desperately needed support in emergency situations, I believe that we should also look at the wider picture and address the issues involved in international development in the long term. In the recent years, some experts such as Zambain, Born d'Ambeze, Moe have tried to discredit the impact of international aid. Over past 50 years, over £1 trillion in aid has been transferred to Africa alone. Although many Africans continue to live below substantial levels, this argument is controversial. However, it reminds us that international aid has to be scrutinised carefully if we want it to be sustainable. There are just some of the questions that must be asked. What are the purposes and the goals of international development? How and who should implement it? In what way can Scotland contribute to a just and fair world? Mercy Corps seeks to answer these in similar questions on a daily basis. Last week, it created a framework of change that focuses on three main aspects, involving local communities, building on local markets and economics, assisting in developing good governance, and being aware of actively encouraging all stakeholders involved to identify as a key and secure and sustainable change. For other Mercy Corps projects, they connect with civic society, with the private and public sector to create a secure, productive and just society. For organisations, it also tries to strengthen the ties between all participating parties, enabling them to interact effectively with each other while facilitating their engagement with the local population. Lastly, organisations have also generated the ability to determine and truly understand to support needs of people in developing countries. The latter point has led to a focus of promoting self-imparment by providing people in developing countries with the tools to shape their own futures. It is therefore important that we focus not solely on the aid budget but on the overall impact of Scotland's actions on international development. Money alone cannot eradicate poverty. Instead, we should take a pro-development policy coherent approach that can be achieved by promoting equality, human rights and democratic governance in all our external actions, especially in the areas of economic and financial systems, trade and climate justice. I am proud to say that even though Scotland is a small country, it is committed to sharing its experiences on issues ranging from public financial management to holding democratic elections and strengthening civil society. The Scotland with Mali partnership, since it was established, has facilitated networking, promoted best practice examples and not least created many friendships across two geographically distant countries. Because of such achievements, I believe that it is important not only to consider what still has to be done but to remind ourselves of a work that has been accomplished by Scotland with Mali partnership and the Mercer Corps. There are many other organisations and volunteers that are contributing and continuing to strengthen Scotland's impact on the world. I would also like to take this opportunity to mention Pauline Caffricate and all others who are bravely volunteered to support the fight against Ebola in the affected regions of West Africa. Lastly, I want to congratulate Mercer Corps once more and wish its staff in Scotland, as well as all those in countries who work in partnership with Mercer Corps, to continue success in their work. Thank you. I now call Cameron Buchanan to be followed by Linda Fabiani. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am pleased to support my friend Jim Eadie's motion celebrating 35 years of Mercer Corps and to discuss international development and the valuable work that charitable organisations such as Mercer Corps undertake. Mercer Corps does a vast amount of work all over the world that makes a real difference to the lives of millions, as we have heard. However, while we are discussing international development, I think that it is important that this Parliament also acknowledges the work that is done by a number of other international non-governmental organisations such as Save the Children, CRE Care and Medecins Saint-Francaire. The common link between these organisations is that, through immense effort and dedication, they spread their impact and make a noticeable positive difference on a global scale. To make a lasting difference in international development, it takes more than donating large sums of money, as Mercer Corps knows well. That they have helped to improve the lives of 229 million people in 115 countries from Afghanistan, Guatemala and Yemen to Bolivia, Kazakhstan and Zimbabwe is proof that they understand this and have applied it expertly. It appears that this all comes down to their core beliefs in communities as the best agents of their own change. Local markets are the best engines of sustainable recovery and good governance as the foundation of success. This last point I think is underlined by the fact that more than 88% of the resources at their disposal over the last five years have been put straight into programmes for those who are most in need in times of crisis. All of this, as well as the points made by some of my colleagues, make it clear that Mercer Corps is an example of an international development of which they are rightly proud. However, I think that we should use this opportunity to draw attention to the excellent work done by some other international charitable organisations. One that comes to mind is Save the Children, who in 2013 helped 15.4 million children in their work across more than 120 countries. Their approach, with the help of artists, ambassadors and corporate partnerships, also make a lasting difference in international development. In doing so, it sets another example of how real difference can be made. Although there are many that I could choose from, the final example that I would like to draw particular attention to is Medecin Saint-Francair. They are, of course, very well known, but this is due to their success and dedication, which is why they deserve some of our attention tonight, as we discussed the principles that underline the most successful charitable work. In the case of Medecin Saint-Francair, the underlying principles are independence, neutrality and impartiality. Those values enable them to concentrate entirely on getting help to those who need it, wherever they are. In addition, they practice their policy that gaining the acceptance of local communities is the key to being able to perform their work effectively. This, it seems, is something that they have in common with so many charitable organisations. Accordingly, it is most welcome that we have had this opportunity to discuss Mercy Corps and its wider achievement in international development. As many of my fellow members have touched on this evening, Mercy Corps has been a huge success and deserve much acclaim. One of the key messages that I hope we can take away from this debate is that real progress is made in development when charitable organisations have at their core a set of principles that allow them to have a lasting impact on a global scale. Those principles, including good governance, impartiality and promoting community-led and market-based initiatives, set an example that we in Parliament should applaud and that many international organisations should follow. I, too, am pleased to take part in the debate that has been put forward by my colleague Jamidi. I am also pleased to give due recognition to Mercy Corps, who, for 35 years now, have been carrying out fantastic work all over Europe and all over the world. His main headquarters is in Portland, Oregon. I first came across Mercy Corps some years ago when I was there, because they are quite quiet in what they do. They are not one of the organisations that we hear about all the time. They just seem to quietly get on with things. I came across them some years ago when I was trustee of a charity called Just World Partners that dealt largely in the Southern Pacific region. For various reasons, the charity had to be wound up in Mercy Corps at the time, came in and took over the projects. Small projects took them over to make sure that the people that were the recipients of the work going on were not disadvantaged in any way. I have always felt that this was an organisation that was prime motivation to give help where help was needed, and we have heard that from others tonight. I have a particular interest in team orlesty. Mercy Corps is doing a lot of good work there. Jamidi mentioned women's empowerment and asked that women's empowerment be at the centre of development. Mercy Corps has done some work in team orlesty and women's empowerment and has proved that child nutrition increases because of women's empowerment. If I pass that on to the minister, he will have a look at his interesting reading. However, I particularly wanted to talk this evening about a scheme that is being done through the European Commission by Mercy Corps in team orlesty, which is the energy for all programme. They are doing this in the way that they do many other things, most other things, which are partnering with local communities. That is not always an easy thing to do. It sounds like one of those buzzphrases that everyone uses is that, yes, we partner with local communities. Quite often it is not in fact the case because it is difficult. Too often it becomes much easier to just get on and do things and have all the local people standing around watching you do it. That was a problem that blighted international development for some time. Thankfully, we have got over that over the past couple of decades. In team orlesty, they did very much partner with local communities in this scheme, which was addressing the problems in team orlesty in relation to infrastructure. Infrastructure is bad there, but when you consider the Scorched Earth policy that the Indonesians left with after their independence referendum, it is not surprising. In fact, you have only 38 per cent of the just over a million population with electricity access, which is not always reliable. I can tell you that from experience. In actual fact, in the rural areas, 90 per cent relied on kerosene until Mercy Corps came in and tried to make a difference here by provision of solar panels, partnering with small local companies, setting them up, providing microfinance where necessary, and trying to make a difference in people's lives. We all know the problems of cooking with wood fire open stoves, which most people in Tivor do, but also trying to get lighting with kerosene. It is dangerous in health terms as well as horrific fires that happen. I could talk about this forever. I have barely started with where I could go from here, but one thing that I did very much get from reading this fine report that was done is that Mercy Corps is very honest and upfront about achievement, because it has headline lessons here in this report that they have included. Some of them are critical of themselves, and that is a very important thing for agencies to do, but one thing I would like to say that always irritates me, and they have hit the nail in the head here, is that market development programmes require longer and more flexible intervention timeframes, particularly those in high risk areas. Far too often we go in and we say right in three years that we are going to make these wondrous changes, sometimes three years is not enough, sometimes we have to look at 10 years, 20 years, even 30 years, and be realistic about how long it takes a society to really turn themselves around and be able to do things for themselves. Just in closing, the reason I know that they have tried very hard to partner with the local communities and teamwork is because I was speaking to some friends there. I got good and bad reports about what Mercy Corps is doing there, but that is proof that they are working, because if everybody was saying that they were fantastic, it would be because they were just giving stuff away. I say well done to everyone at Mercy Corps for this project and particularly thanks to those working on the ground in Dilley and in all the rural areas of East Timor. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and may I add my congratulations to Jim Eadie, who has secured the debate this evening and who is interested in the subject of international development that is recognised by us all. The 35th anniversary of Mercy Corps is something that we should celebrate and in doing so we recognise the excellent work that the organisation and its staff have done in those 35 years. In doing so, of course, we recognise all those aid organisations operating from Scotland too. The Jim Eadie's motion recognises the bravery and commitment of the staff of Mercy Corps, the reach of the organisation and the effectiveness of the work that they have done and continue to do. He is right to highlight those aspects. I would however like to focus on a particular aspect of their work rather than look at their perhaps expanded world view. In a previous member's debate on my own name, I drew attention to the plight of those displaced because of the conflict in Syria and made a plea that we should not forget the children of that conflict and the need to ensure that they were not deprived of an education. That is an area of work that has been a real focus for Mercy Corps and one where they have made a significant contribution to. As we know, over 3 million people have been displaced from their homes in Syria and their neighbours in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq are struggling and their own services are overstretched. Mercy Corps is working to support some 800,000 refugees and is a supporter of UNICEF's no-loss generation campaign, which tries to highlight the long-term problems of the 1.2 million children who are missing out, missing out not just on an education but on stability at a crucial point in their lives. Mercy Corps has made a point of trying to assist adolescents in the refugee and host communities and has highlighted the isolation and lack of social support that those young people often suffer. The situation of girls is particularly difficult as they are often from conservative communities and become tied to their homes with no opportunity to acquire vocational skills or to become financially independent. I think that it is important to stress why this work is so important. Mercy Corps makes the point that it is the choices that we make in adolescence that influence the paths that we follow in later life. However, this cohort of young people is also likely to be the one that has to deal with the aftermath of this conflict. If they are deprived of education, of life and work skills, of training and business and entrepreneurship and an understanding of community involvement and community life, then not only are they being deprived as individuals of those opportunities but that we are seriously limiting the opportunities for rebuilding Syria itself. It is, I believe, that important. So what can we do? Mercy Corps has suggested a number of areas where additional help would make a difference and I would want to highlight just one or two of those. I have mentioned previously that girls in this situation are often pressurised to stay indoors for their own safety and because they are expected to do the household chores. Crucially, they need safe spaces where they can be mentored, supported and encouraged to continue their education and to perhaps delay marriage and early pregnancy too. Secondly, I come back again to the issue of education. As we know, schools and host communities are really overstretched and there is a lack of clarity about things that we take for granted such as certification and accreditation. There are difficulties of language and stigmatisation so more flexibility needs to be built into the system and communities need to be helped to understand the value that this can bring to their young people and to their country. Mercy Corps is doing a fantastic job day in and day out but it cannot do it alone. In this anniversary year, it would be good to be able to say that this country, which values education so highly, is with you, Mercy Corps, in the job that you are trying to do and perhaps the minister might consider ways in which the Government's international development budget could assist. Mercy Corps has branded its work in this area with the tagline, Sirian adolescence. There tomorrow begins today. We, all of us, should want to be part of ensuring that a brighter future for young Sirians is secured and it is only by doing so that we can be part of helping to build a safe and stable Siria 2. I thank Jim Eadie not just for the motion and for securing this debate but for the passionate and eloquent way in which he set the tone and set the scene for this debate. I join him and others in expressing my gratitude and the gratitude of my party to Mercy Corps for all that they do on behalf of some of the most needy communities and people across the world. The team-based here in Scotland, I think, should be a source of pride for all of us and the work that they do in over 30 countries around the world, is truly remarkable. I think Malcolm Chisholm was right to put his finger on the flexibility and the local solutions that Mercy Corps are committed to introducing. I think that that is very much at the root of their success, often moving from urgent recovery into longer-term resilience, which I think has to be the objective ultimately of international aid. Linda Fabiani mentioned the modesty of Mercy Corps and I think they would be at pains to point out that they are part of a wider effort, a wider network and I think we are truly blessed in the efforts that the very many organisations do on our behalf internationally, but I think there is no doubt that that effort has never been more necessary. We are seeing, I think, the highest number of refugees now at any point, certainly since the second world war. I recall a debate, I think, three years ago, again led by my friend Jamidi on the crisis situation in Syria. A number of colleagues were participating in that, and at that stage, I think, it was suggested that the number of refugees coming out of the conflict in Syria was the highest of any single conflict and, obviously, nobody will need reminding that that situation in that country has deteriorated abysmily since then. While the pressure of numbers clearly creates challenges, it is not simply a numbers game. Mercy Corps have made clear to me in correspondence the challenges presented by what they call complex humanitarian emergencies, where the impact of the conflict is very real, not just on those directly affected, but also, I think, those seeking to deliver help to those people and to those communities. David Torrance mentioned the situation in Malawi, pointing out that this is not just about areas of conflict, that complexity comes from natural disasters today. I will be joining James Dorn in a visit to Malawi next month. I think that that is very timely to see for ourselves the effects of the floods, both in terms of the immediate effects in disease risks, et cetera, but the longer-term risks to infrastructure and the like. I was very grateful to the First Minister for her words in response to Patricia Ferguson at First Minister's questions last week. That commitment is greatly to be welcome. I think that it follows a long legacy of commitment to international development that has been shown by ministers of different political persuasions over the duration of this Parliament. More recently, we have seen the reaction not just to Malawi and floods, but to the Hurricane Haiyan, to the Ebola situation in West Africa, as well as conflicts such as Syria, Gaza and others. The financial support, while important, is a number of colleagues who are absolutely right to point to the wider significance. Yes, it lends into the international aid efforts of the UK Government. I am particularly proud of the coalition's Government's commitment to develop that, not 0.7 per cent of GDP and the wider international effort. It is also the expertise that we have available in Scotland and can deploy internationally. It is also the wider publicity that the actions of ministers and parliamentarians here can give to the efforts of Mercy Corps and others who are seeking to raise that awareness more widely. As we move from the millennium goals to the principles of leaving no-one behind, I think that there is a call for us to take a more strategic approach to international aid, which a media and others pointed to the principles of addressing climate change, gender equality, human rights and principles of democracy. All of these need to be fed through into our approach going forward. Although I would perhaps be a little bit wary of an approach that tried to put our influence too widely, as that may dilute it ultimately. I conclude by thanking Jimmy Dee once again for allowing this debate to take place. I congratulate Mercy Corps on their 31st anniversary and wish them all the very best in the desperately difficult but absolutely critical work that they do on our behalf. I thank Jimmy Dee for putting forward and securing this debate. I am very pleased to speak in support of it on behalf of the Scottish Government. I, of course, wish Mercy Corps a very happy 35th birthday. I will be turning 30 this year, having a bit of a pre-30 crisis, so I might speak to Mercy Corps to see how they adapted to being in the 30s. I congratulate them and to their staff and to all the wonderful team that they have around them for everything that they have done in those 35 years, and I am sure that we will continue to do for many years in the future. It is a privilege for us as the Government to have the European headquarters of Mercy Corps such a large and prestigious organisation that is based here in Scotland. Not long after coming into my post, I was given a tour of the Edinburgh offices. I was very impressed by the dedication and commitment of their staff, especially those who were planning to work through the Christmas period to provide help for those who need it the most. I am delighted that I will be visiting them again tomorrow when I look forward to meeting their staff, as well as their new chief executive, Simon O'Connell, who brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise in developing countries for his new role. Jim Eadie was absolutely correct in saying that the world that we live in today is afflicted with many challenges. I had the UK representative of the UNHCR up here in Scotland just last week, speaking at the Scottish Refugee Council's AGM. He spoke of the refugee crisis that we are facing, both Liam McArthur and Jim Eadie, referring to it that 58 million people in the world are forcibly displaced, more than any other time in history after the Second World War. Absolutely incredible. I want to touch upon just a few points that were raised across the chamber, if I may, Presiding Officer. First, I want to commend Mercy Corps for the work that they do in long-term resilience. Jim Eadie also touched on that and his contribution very eloquently. A lot of agencies are designed to tackle and assist communities when it comes to natural disasters, in particular, and sometimes even within conflict. They will go in very well in tension and do a lot of great work. We will have to move on to the next crisis, the next conflict and the next natural disaster. That is very understandable and correct. What Mercy Corps does and what Jim Eadie touched on is some of that longer-term resilience work with local partners—he spoke about it as I by Jan in Armenia—and they are there in the long-term, before disasters necessarily take place, but also making sure that, after they do, those disasters, if they are repeated, will not have the same devastating consequences. They are there often after the media spotlight has gone from that conflict or from that natural disaster when many other aid agencies have pulled out, as I say for understandable reasons, but Mercy Corps is still there, and I think that they should be commended for that long-term resilience. I also want to touch upon a point that Jim Eadie raised about humanitarian aid. I am pleased that the Scottish Government has a good record in this regard in responding to humanitarian disasters, be it Gaza, Pakistan, Haiti, Syria, and most recently the Ebola crisis. Usually, the DEC is a trigger for the Scottish Government to put forward some money and some funds towards helping to tackle a crisis. That is not always the case. Ebola is an example. The DEC moved on Ebola after we had already donated significant money to the world health organisations. A number of members mentioned the Malawi floods that I will make some announcements on that very soon in relation to what support we can give them. Obviously, there has not been a DEC trigger to that. There are on-going discussions with Mercy Corps on how we set a criteria for a trigger for humanitarian aid. The challenge that we face is that we obviously do not have a set budget within the Scottish Government for humanitarian aid. We rely on not just the international development fund but the generosity of other departments within the Government to put something forward. I am very sympathetic to looking further at that. I thought that Linda Fabiani spoke incredibly powerfully about her own experiences with Mercy Corps. I agree entirely with her point about sometimes that three years does not seem enough of a time frame. I am very sympathetic to examining that and certainly something that internally we are looking at as the Government. I thought that Patricia Ferguson is equally powerful in her contribution to focusing on Syria. I thought that she made a good point that aid is important, but we can do more than just aid. On the education front, I will be more than happy to see what Mercy Corps has in my discussions with them tomorrow and what they are doing in relation to education in Syria. Seeing where we might be able to assist in that regard, I am keen that the entire Scottish Government plays a role in international development. It is not just seen as an international development department's challenge but it is seen as a cross-governmental priority for all of us. It is certainly something that I am happy to take up with the education secretary. Just on her point on Syria, I think that we could be doing a lot more in regards to the refugee crisis. 3.8 million people—or Syrians—are now refugees. I commend the work that the UK Government has done in relation to delivering aid. In fact, the UK Government is the second-largest aid donor to Syria, so they should be commended for that. However, I would urge them to go further in regard to the refugee crisis. With us far, many European countries have taken tens of thousands of refugees. The UK Government's own vulnerable persons relocation scheme has thus far only resettled 140 Syrians. We can do more in Scotland as ready to play her part. 4.8 million people—or Syrians—are now refugees. In regard to Mersi Co's work, they have a long-standing relationship with the Scottish Government. One of the projects that I have been involved in and seen the fruits of is their project in Kashmir, where all the members will know that Kashmir is an area and a region that has been blighted by conflict and instability for many years. 48 per cent of young people are unemployed. Mersi Co received £400,000 of Scottish Government funding to deliver a programme to encourage entrepreneurship over a three-year period and young entrepreneurship. In particular, the programme ran an awareness campaign that reached over 38,000 young people, alerting them to the possibilities of setting up a new business. It was a phenomenal response that they received back in providing 170 young people directly with finance and advice that they needed to start up their own business. The project has helped to harness creativity, enthusiasm and entrepreneurship. When I visited India in October 2013, I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of those entrepreneurs. Many other projects that we have helped with Mersi Co's assistance have helped to make a difference as a Scottish Government by touching on gender equality, which I thought was well made by Jim Eadie and also picked up by Linda Fabiani. We know that there is far too many maternal deaths, too much infant mortality in the developing world, and one of the projects that we deliver with Mersi Co in the Balochistan region of Pakistan looks to empower community midwives. I am very proud of that. Of all the projects that we work closely with Mersi Co, I would like to conclude by referring to Mersi Co's mission statement to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people to build secure, productive and just communities. In a world where suffering, poverty and oppression are sadly all too commonplace, Mersi Co serves as an inspirational example of how one organisation can make a difference. I commend this motion and I am pleased to support it on behalf of the Scottish Government. Thank you minister. That concludes Jim Eadie's debate on the 35th anniversary of Mersi Co, and I now close this meeting of Parliament.