Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his Vietnamese counterparts on (a) upholding the human rights of climate activists and (b) the conditions in which Hoang Thi Minh Hong is being held; and whether UK funding for the Vietnam Just Energy Transition Partnership will be dependent on that country making a commitment to uphold the human rights of climate activists.

The protection of activists and human rights defenders is a priority for our engagement with Vietnam and I [Minister Trevelyan] raised this issue at ministerial level during my recent visit in October. I also raised the case of Hoang Thi Minh Hong with my counterpart Vice Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang at the UK-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue meeting in London on 12 June. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office made a public statement expressing concern at the arrest. We continue to monitor the situation in Vietnam and make the case for free and open partnership with NGOs, as an important part of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).