Cooperation for a shared future: safe migration and no human trafficking.

Enhanced inter-sectoral cooperation is a key outcome of our joint efforts. Without the sharing of relevant information, New Zealand and Vietnam would be unable to identify those who facilitate illegal immigration to New Zealand.

New Zealand is working to ensure the safety of Vietnamese citizens while they live, study, and work in our country. We want migrants to have a solid and clear legal path to New Zealand so they can come and contribute effectively to our country.

Delegates attending the 2023-2024 Joint Action Plan meeting and the annual meeting of the Working Group on Dismantling Migrant Smuggling and Trafficking Networks within the framework of the Bali Process in Hanoi in July. (Photo: Xuan Son)

So, what strategies have been implemented to achieve such effective interdisciplinary collaboration, sir?

Information sharing, face-to-face meetings, and collaborative agreements are key to achieving results.

In March of this year, the Minister of Public Security , Lieutenant General Luong Tam Quang, who was then the Deputy Minister of Public Security, visited and worked in New Zealand (as part of the trip accompanying Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife on an official visit to New Zealand), and the issue of cooperation within the Bali Process was discussed.

During his working visit, Lieutenant General Luong Tam Quang met with the heads of the New Zealand Police and the New Zealand Immigration Service. In these meetings, both sides openly discussed measures to enhance coordination and agreed on a formal memorandum of understanding between the New Zealand Immigration Service and the Vietnam Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security.

At a lower level, meetings and communication activities by relevant agencies have been implemented to facilitate information sharing and exchange.

How do you feel about Vietnam's efforts in preventing and combating human trafficking and illegal migration?

Vietnam has a different environment for human trafficking and illegal migration compared to New Zealand.

Although the environments and risks associated with these types of crimes differ between the two countries, we have been working to mitigate these risks with the goal of a shared future where people can safely migrate for work without fear of falling into the traps of human trafficking and exploitation.

Deputy Minister of Public Security Luong Tam Quang and New Zealand Police Commissioner Andrew Coster at a working meeting in March 2024. (Source: Ministry of Public Security)

What steps should Vietnam and New Zealand take to advance the outcomes of the 2023-2024 Joint Action Phase and foster further cooperation to combat human trafficking and irregular migration in the region?

The Joint Action Phase is just the beginning of what we can achieve in the fight against illegal migration, human trafficking, and transnational crime.

Our two countries will continue our efforts to formalize information sharing between the New Zealand Immigration Service and the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security so that criminals are held accountable, workers can travel safely and legally from New Zealand to Vietnam, and feel secure while working overseas.

Thank you, sir!