Llywydd, our international strategy was crafted in the Brexit context. Leaving the European Union means that we have to work even harder to sustain the profile and the reputation of Wales in the world. Now more than ever we have to do all we can to raise Wales’s international profile, grow our economy through increasing exports and attracting inward investment, and, as the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 requires, establish Wales as a globally responsible nation.

No-one could have predicted what would happen just a few short weeks after our international strategy was published in January. COVID-19 started to take hold in February, and of course the pandemic has had a direct impact on the delivery of our international ambitions, but we have still made positive use of our overseas networks, staying in touch with Governments across the world and gathering vital intelligence on their approaches to tackling the virus. They worked to identify sources of personal protective equipment in the early days, when supplies were scarce. Our China offices played a key role in securing the shipment of surgical masks manufacturing equipment for a company in Cardiff that produces up to 1 million face masks per day for key workers in Wales and the rest of the United Kingdom. Our Wales and Africa programme quickly issued 26 grants that focused on COVID-19 support.

We moved our international programmes online and used relationships set out in the international strategy to develop joint ambitions, not just to focus on the immediate crisis, but to build future resilience and rebuild our economies. Even in the depth of the crisis, we have held virtual and face-to-face meetings with ambassadors from Japan, Germany, the European Union, Canada and others.

Today, Llywydd, we publish four action plans derived from the international strategy, shaped by the context of the global pandemic and reflecting our engagement with friends around the world. I want to put on record my thanks to Eluned Morgan for all the work she invested in the strategy and the plans while ministerially responsible for international relations. The documents cover public diplomacy and soft power, regional relationships and networks, Wales and Africa, and our diaspora, and they are a tribute to the flair and commitment that Eluned brought to that work.

Our public diplomacy and soft power plan identifies how Wales will enhance our global profile. It sets out the global contribution we can make as a responsible nation, working internationally with partners on well-being, sustainability, youth education, culture, sport, science and the promotion of the Welsh language. It makes the links with supporting the Welsh economy, bolstering trade and tourism, as we did during last year's Rugby World Cup in Japan. Together with our Wales and Africa programme, it responds to the recent issues highlighted by the Black Lives Matter campaign to promote an ethos of fairness, equality and diversity. The Wales and Africa action plan also sets out how we will work with partners in sub-Saharan Africa and here in Wales to support delivery of the UN sustainable development goals, particularly in two areas: climate change and sustainability, where we're planting 25 million trees in Uganda by 2025, and, secondly, promoting Wales as a fair nation through support for fair trade and women's empowerment.

Following the signing of a declaration of intent with the Quebec Government earlier this year, our priority regional relationships plan brings focus to building and strengthening key regional relationships, in particular with three European regions—Brittany, the Basque Country and Flanders—as well as European and international networks.