WHEN you have good news, you want to share it with as many people as possible.

So it is with independence, and our story is a good news one for our friends and allies around the world.

To perhaps oversimplify matters, there are two parts to achieving independence – winning the argument among a majority of the people of Scotland and being seen as credible and legitimate in the eyes of the international community. International engagement is critical in the latter – it is one thing to declare independence, another to have it recognised internationally.

It’s why this week both Deidre Brock MP and I will be participating in the parliamentary assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vancouver.

READ MORE: Independent Scotland should have constitution, MSPs say

Those who know their history will know the deep extent of Scotland’s ties with Canada – and indeed many reading this will have relations or friends living there – so it is a pleasure to be representing the SNP and Scotland as we discuss how to help the OSCE address the challenges facing the 21st century.

The OSCE is the world’s largest regional security organisation with 57 participating states in North America, Europe and Asia.

Its origins go back to the detente phase of the early 1970s when the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) was established to serve as a multilateral forum for dialogue and negotiation between the communist eastern bloc and the west.

The establishment of 10 principles (the “Decalogue”) provided in the Helsinki Final Act in 1975 laid the groundwork for governing the behaviour of member states towards both each other and their citizens. With the end of the Cold War, the security situation changed and the CSCE was renamed to the OSCE to reflect this.

The National:

It has since continued to evolve and covers a range of areas including cybersecurity, conflict prevention and resolution, democratisation, good governance and so forth.

Like other international organisations – such as Nato or the Council of Europe – the OSCE also has a parliamentary assembly. This forum provides a space where delegates from member states gather together to discuss the organisation’s work, developments relevant to its remit, as well as set the general direction of its work and issues to focus on.

With a packed agenda, we can help demonstrate what Scotland – both now and with independence – can help contribute

After all, security is a wide-ranging area.

There is the hard aspect – tanks, bombs, soldiers – but there’s also the human security aspect – how does climate change act as a threat multiplier, how does gender inequality lead to more violence within societies, how can we try and resolve problems before they spill out into all-out conflict?

When it comes to human security, the Scottish Government has done some significant work in this area. Back when Glasgow hosted COP26, one point that resonated with other delegates was our commitment to climate justice funding.

Across various governments, both nationalist and Unionist, the Scottish Government has also supported international development around the world in places such as Malawi and Pakistan.

In civil society, Scottish NGOs such as Beyond Borders do a power of work bringing together peacebuilders, while its Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship Programme is helping build a global network of female peacebuilders who share ideas and best practice.

READ MORE: ‘Damning’ report shows UK not on track to hit 2030 net zero targets

More recently, there is also the publication of an independent report by the Scottish Council on Global Affairs and Scotland’s International Development Alliance which provides helpful recommendations for the Scottish Government’s Feminist Foreign Policy.

Scotland being a positive voice in the world is a good news story worth sharing. It also reassures those who will have a say on whether we can participate in organisations such as the United Nations, the EU, Nato or the OSCE that we will strive to be a force for good in the world.

All countries have interests, of course, but where these interests overlap – as they surely do when it comes to tackling the climate crisis – we should help ensure that Scotland’s got something valuable to contribute.

It’s also another reason why independence is a necessity

On our delegation to Canada, Deidre and I will be representing the SNP; as an independent member country, the number of Scotland’s representatives would naturally be higher and from a broader swathe of Scottish society.

I may disagree with the Conservatives on a range of issues but I would not deny that they have a right to be heard if they are elected representatives of the Scottish people. In this way, we all benefit from a democratic independent Scotland engaging with the world.

As part of the UK, our voice will only be a small one with numerous caveats added on. As an independent country, all of us in Scotland, across the political spectrum, will be able to have our voices heard. The path ahead remains long and arduous, but we’ve got our eyes fixed on securing the prize – an independent Scotland in Europe, ready to play our part in the wider international community.