4. What progress has the Welsh Government made on implementing the International Strategy for Wales? OQ58192

I thank Heledd Fychan for the question. Llywydd, progress was set out in the annual report on our overseas network, which was published last month. The report recorded outcomes against the international strategy in terms of raising the international profile of Wales, supporting international trade and establishing Wales as a globally responsible nation.

Thank you, First Minister. Clearly, a number of things have changed since the strategy was drafted, including the pandemic and, more recently of course, the fact that the Wales men's football team have qualified for the World Cup. As Laura McAllister wrote in a column in the Western Mail over the weekend, and I quote:

'The potential benefits for football are vast, but so, too, is the potential to generate lasting spin-off success for Wales off the field too. It's all about that word "legacy’", but we need to get our act together and move fast if we are to strategically co-opt sport, supported by our wider cultural offer, as a way of amplifying Wales’ global profile and attract the world to Wales to trade, holiday, invest and study.'

She goes on to say that it would be unforgivable if Wales were to miss out on this golden opportunity. I know that Adam Price questioned you on this last week, but, with over a week having passed since that crucial fixture, what support has already been provided by the Welsh Government to the FAW, and what support will be provided over the next few months?

I thank Heledd Fychan. The point that she raises is an important one, and I agree with what she said when she quoted what was in the Western Mail. We've been doing things already, of course, with the FAW to prepare for Wales's visit to Qatar. I had an opportunity to meet with the ambassador from Qatar, who came to Wales last week, and I am meeting with the UK ambassador to Qatar next week here in Cardiff. So, we are preparing for people from Wales going to Qatar and ensuring that everything is in place and ensuring, with the local authorities, that there will be a welcome for any person that goes to Qatar, and working with the FAW and others to use the possibilities that will arise for Wales from being on the global stage. We are drawing people together as a Government, not just in the footballing world, of course, but, as Heledd Fychan said, more broadly, in order to exploit the opportunities that we have now through the success of the team.

First Minister, football, and sport in general, of course, is a huge opportunity for Wales to make itself known on the international stage, but one opportunity that your international strategy really has missed is the opportunity that exists between faith communities in Wales because of their links with faith communities overseas. There are many churches, chapels and mosques across this country that enjoy excellent links in nations overseas and could easily afford an opportunity for Wales to raise its profile in those nations. Why is it that 'faith' does not appear as a word, apart from in terms of the title of the BBC programme Keeping Faith, that tremendous series—? Apart from that, the word 'faith' does not appear in the international strategy at all. Is that something that you will look at in order that we can ensure that these opportunities are not missed?

Llywydd, I agree with what Darren Millar said, that we have many faith communities here in Wales who have important links with communities elsewhere in the world, and that brings with those connections opportunities to enrich people's understanding and to develop those connections between people that are to the benefit of us all. The international strategy, though, I think does have a different focus. It is essentially an economic focus, because most of the efforts of our overseas offices and most of the things that you will see in the international strategy are about making sure that there is strong support there for firms in other parts of the world who might be interested to come to Wales, and particularly for firms based in Wales to develop those export opportunities that they are looking for. It may be that there are connections that could be made between the agendas that are set out in the international strategy and the work of those wider communities. And, of course, we don't turn our back on those possibilities at all.