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1 August 2023: UK-Vietnam FTA Joint Forum on Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) – report

Published 13 September 2024

This page relates to a meeting that took place on 1 August 2023, during the 2022 to 2024 Sunak Conservative government, and was published later.

Report of the first Joint Forum on Trade and Sustainable Development under the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the United Kingdom (UKVFTA)

Virtual, 1 August 2023

The first Joint Forum on Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) under the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the United Kingdom (UKVFTA) took place on 1 August 2023 in Ha Noi, Vietnam and London, UK via videoconference.

The forum was co-chaired by a representative from each party. Participants in the forum were representatives from both countries’ TSD Domestic Advisory Groups (DAGs) as well as relevant government agencies of Vietnam and the UK.

At the Joint Forum, delegates had dedicated discussions on the implementation of the labour and environmental commitments under the UKVFTA. The parties updated stakeholders on the second UK-Vietnam Committee on Trade and Sustainable Development on 31 July 2023, with the joint report presented by government representatives from both sides.

Regarding labour, the Vietnamese government informed the DAG representatives about the ratification status of ILO conventions and affirmed that the amended Labour Code 2019 is fundamentally compatible with ILO conventions.

Meanwhile, in response to intervention on whether the UK’s Minimum Service Levels (MSL) legislation is compatible with the UK’s international commitments, the UK Government outlined that the MSL legislation is compatible with the UK’s international obligations and achieves a balance between the ability of union members to take strike action and protecting the rights and freedoms of the wider public and society.

Regarding environment issues, a Vietnam DAG member raised a question about whether the UK will continue to maintain its high environmental standards and promote the implementation of international environmental commitments after leaving the EU. The UK gave examples of measures under the UK Environment Act demonstrating its commitment to improving standards, such as on supply chain sustainability and to supporting the protection of forests and other ecosystems globally.

Regarding sustainable agriculture, to respond to a UK DAG member’s enquiry about the Mekong Delta, Vietnamese government representatives provided updates on policies and measures undertaken to increase the capacity of agricultural production while ensuring reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In this regard, the UK noted the two sides’ recent Memorandum of Understanding on providing technical support for Vietnam to ensure sustainable livelihoods for low-income households that depend on agricultural activities, including within the Lower Mekong region.

Following questions from the UK DAG, government representatives of Vietnam and the UK also updated on the status of ratification of the Fisheries Subsidy Agreement under the WTO, which was negotiated and approved by WTO members at the 12th Ministerial Conference in June 2022. In this regard, Vietnam affirmed its cooperation efforts with relevant stakeholders in the negotiation process of the second phase of the agreement. The UK restated its commitment to sustainable fishing and its timelines to ratify the agreement.

Both governments thanked the DAG attendees for the productive discussion on the implementation of the TSD chapter of the UKVFTA and acknowledged how the first Joint Forum had highlighted key areas for continued discussion between Parties in the future.