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17 November 2021: UK-Vietnam FTA Committee on Trade and Sustainable Development – joint minutes

Published 8 October 2024

This page relates to a meeting that took place on 17 November 2021, during the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government, and was published later.

Joint minutes of the first meeting of the Committee on Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam (Vietnam)  

London and Ha Noi (via videoconference), 17 November 2021

The first meeting of the Committee on Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) under the UK-Vietnam FTA (UKVFTA) took place on 17 November 2021 via videoconference.

It was a productive exchange between the UK’s representatives from:  

• Department for International Trade (DIT) 
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) 
• Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Energy (BEIS) 
• the British Embassy in Vietnam

and Vietnam’s representatives from:  

• Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) 
• Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) 
• Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)
• Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE)

Opening remarks and adoption of the agenda and Rules of Procedure  

The meeting agenda was adopted – Annex A.   

The Parties discussed the proposed Rules of Procedure for the TSD Committee and agreed to give the matter further consideration.  

The Parties agree to continue this discussion offline, addressing any outstanding comments and aiming to agree a final version in the coming months.

Information exchange on the domestic advisory groups (DAGs) 

The Parties discussed the establishment of their respective DAGs to monitor and, where necessary, advise on the implementation of Chapter 13 – Trade and Sustainable Development, as well as participate in the joint forum.   

The UK updated Vietnam on their ongoing work to establish a DAG.

The UK outlined their plan to establish the group via a public expression of interest campaign to ensure the appointment of independent stakeholders.  

Vietnam updated the UK on their recent experience of establishing a DAG for their agreement with the EU and explained that they are considering whether this group will also serve the UKVFTA.  

The Parties, noting that establishing and engaging a DAG is a new responsibility for them both, agreed to share best practice, provide an update by the end of 2021 and aim to share a list of members in the coming months.

Discussion between partners on the joint forum   

The Parties discussed the approach to operationalising the joint forum.  

The UK outlined their commitment to delivering this obligation and set out proposals for ensuring that the joint forum can take place regularly and effectively, including by holding the dialogue alongside the TSD Committee annually from 2022 and by using online methods where possible.  

Vietnam raised two important issues relating to the preparation and operation of the joint forum:

1. selecting participants who have legitimate interests in trade and sustainable development
2. ensuring the topics discussed are kept within the scope of Chapter 13 – Trade and Sustainable Development

Both Parties acknowledged the important role that the DAGs could play in facilitating the joint forum. The Parties also discussed how to facilitate an open dialogue whilst ensuring the focus remains on the relevant TSD issues. 

The Parties agreed to continue discussions on the operation of the joint forum so that this can be agreed in the coming months. The Parties agreed to hold the first joint forum in 2022.

Discussion between partners regarding the TSD Panel of Experts  

Vietnam and the UK acknowledged the requirement to establish the Panel of Experts and adopt the rules of procedure and the terms of reference for the panel, as set out in Article 13.17 of the Agreement.  

Vietnam explained that they are in the early stages of establishing their panel and will update the UK in due course.  

Regarding the position of chair of the Panel of Experts, the UK proposed that each Party nominates three candidates for further discussion on the final select list.  

The Parties agreed to share further details on their current approaches and progress this via correspondence in the coming months.

Dedicated session on Trade and Environment, including climate action  

The Parties provided updates on their implementation of the environment and climate aspects of Chapter 13 of the Agreement.    

The UK:

• reaffirmed its Multilateral Environmental Agreement (MEA) obligations and set out their ambitions for sustainable management of forests and trade in timber products
• welcomed Vietnam’s endorsement of the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forest and Land Use, which allows the Parties to work together to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030
• also spoke about trade and sustainable use of fisheries resources and sustainable aquaculture, highlighting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing
• updated Vietnam on their key outcomes from the COP26 summit, including what this means for securing global net zero as well as actions on coal use
• noted Vietnam’s commitment to net zero and expressed the desire to work with Vietnam to meet the Parties’ climate ambitions, both within this committee and the Glasgow Climate Pact

Vietnam:

• updated the UK on their recent developments related to climate, including their 2020 update on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement – Vietnam’s NDC states that contributions could increase by up to 25% with international support through bilateral and multilateral cooperation and the implementation of new mechanisms under the Paris Agreement  
• updated the UK on their agriculture development strategy, sustainable management of forests and trade in timber products, noting that forest coverage in Vietnam has increased in the past few years
• updated on sustainable use of fisheries resources and sustainable aquaculture, including strengthened use of fisheries legal frameworks

The Parties noted shared areas of interest and agreed to continue to cooperate on the issues at future committee meetings. The Parties welcomed the exchange of materials and any further questions on these topics via correspondence.

Dedicated session on Trade and Labour  

The UK:

• updated Vietnam on their International Labour Organization (ILO) commitments, confirming their ratification of all 8 of the ILO Fundamental Conventions, informing Vietnam of steps in considering ratification of ILO Convention 190 (Violence and Harassment)
• provided an update on its employment policy, including the recent announcement of a planned increase in the National Living Wage of over 6.6%
• noting recent labour reforms in Vietnam, requested information on the impacts of their implementation
• shared its ambitions for employment law reforms, which will increase participation, protect workers most in need and support the UK’s dynamic labour market
• welcomed the ratification of fundamental conventions by Vietnam in recent years and requested further information from Vietnam on progress towards ratification of ILO Convention 87 (Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right  to Organise)  

Vietnam:

• presented on their ratification of 25 conventions, including 7 of the fundamental conventions
• updated on their progress towards ratifying the last fundamental ILO Convention 87
• presented on labour practices, including the main labour market institutions
• highlighted their minimum wage policies and progress being made on corporate social responsibility where they are implementing new laws and better working practices
• updated on the details of the 2019 reform of their labour code that came into effect in 2021

The UK and Vietnam will continue dialogue on labour standards, including by identifying policy areas of mutual interest such as on the implementation of labour policy reforms. The Parties will seek to provide an update at the next TSD Committee. The Parties will continue to make efforts to ratify  ILO Fundamental Conventions if they have not already done so, and to consider the ratification of other ILO conventions classified as up-to-date. They will exchange information in this regard at the next TSD Committee.

Annex A – Agenda

1st meeting  

Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) Committee  

Vietnam – United Kingdom 

17 November 2021, MS Teams, Vietnam – London

Agenda  

1. Greetings and opening remarks 
2. Approval of the agenda 
3. Discussion of the rules of procedure 
4. Discussion on the establishment of the TSD Domestic Advisory Groups  
5. Discussion and agreement on the operation of the joint forum 
6. Discussion on the TSD Panel of Experts 
7. Dedicated discussion on Trade and Environment, including climate action  
8. Dedicated discussion on Trade and Labour  
9. Calendar of TSD committee meetings  
10. Next steps and joint minutes 
11. Closing remarks