Berlin, 24.06.2022: An alliance of environmental and trade organisations is concerned about the situation of civil society in Vietnam. In an open letter, they call on the German government to use its influence in dialogue with the leadership of Vietnam. The Federal Government must ensure that agreements with Vietnam, investments and grants awarded go hand in hand with the protection of civil society.
Since June 2021, four chairmen of non-profit environmental organisations have been arrested in Vietnam and subsequently sentenced to long prison terms for violating tax law. The last court ruling was handed down in Hanoi on 17 June.
"The detentions are nothing less than a strategic attack on the rights and freedoms of civil society in Vietnam," says Dr Philip Bedall, programme director at the Grassroots Foundation. “Tax legislation is used as a political cover to deprive environmentalists of the opportunity to continue their work.”
The work of the organizations affected by repression is a key success factor of Vietnam's energy transition and the country's net-zero emission target. But instead of cooperation, Vietnam's leadership relies on confrontation. More than ever, government and civil society must work together in partnership to meet the ambitious climate target and to implement the Free Trade Agreement with the EU (EVFTA) in a socially and environmentally sound manner.
From the point of view of the alliance of foundations and environmental and trade policy organisations, Germany can play an essential role in continuously improving the situation of civil society in Vietnam – its capacity to act and its security. In their letter to Foreign Minister Baerbock, Economics Minister Habeck, Environment Minister Lemke and Development Minister Schulze, the signatories formulate some of the necessary steps, above all the demand for the release of the imprisoned environmentalists. The Vietnamese government must ensure that all civil society leaders can continue to play a constructive and active role in energy, climate and trade work.
"The detentions also violate the sustainability and human rights statutes of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement", notes Fabian Flues, Trade and Investment Policy Officer at PowerShift e.V. ‘As a consequence, the Federal Government, as a contracting party, may request measures, from enhanced dialogue, to the establishment of a specific problem-solving mechanism, to a temporary suspension of parts of the Agreement.’
The open letter You can find it here.
Alliance:
The open letter is drawn by the Stiftung Asiahaus, the AG Handel in the Forum Umwelt und Entwicklung, Urgewald e.V., PowerShift e.V. and the Grassroots Foundation.
Background:
Briefing paper on the arrests of climate and environmental activists in Vietnam
Contact:
Questions about the open letter:
Dr. Philip Bedall
Programme Manager “Training & Capacity Building”
Grassroots Foundation
philip.bedall@grassroots.de
Tel. +49 (0)160 99 78 33 36
