Vietnam is making public commitments to net zero emissions and joining global partners to mitigate climate change while simultaneously arresting and detaining the country’s most prominent climate leaders.
Six prominent individuals who were working on Vietnam’s shift away from coal have been targeted, including environmental justice lawyer Mr. Dang Dinh Bach (Bach), CHANGE VN founder and Obama Foundation scholar Ms. Hoang Thi Minh Hong (Hong), and Ms. Ngo Thi To Nhien (Nhien), Executive Director of Vietnam Initiative for Energy Transition, an independent Vietnamese energy think tank.
The country’s human rights record is being questioned when it comes to successfully implementing the pending $15.5 billion Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) announced in December 2022.
Vietnam is already in violation of the “just” aspect of the JETP while civil society is severely constrained in its ability to participate in this process. These wrongful arrests and the forced dissolution of their organizations have created a disabling environment for civil society leaders and environmental organizations in Vietnam, raising significant concerns that incoming funds for a “clean energy transition” may be used in a way that will lead to more, not less, coal investments.
We cannot stay silent
COP28 - The Vietnam Climate Defenders Coalition attended COP28 to present the JETP framework’s failure to protect climate leaders and the increasing threats to civic space around the world. See recordings of the full sessions below :
Climate activists remain in prison in violation of international law
We call on the Vietnamese government to release Bach, Hong and the other climate leaders in Vietnam.
We call on G7 nations and financiers who are supporting Vietnam’s just energy transition to call for Bach’s release and demand civil society involvement in this crucial climate solution.
The green energy transition will not succeed until environmental defenders can speak openly and lead freely.