Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK/Indonesia Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership on Critical Minerals, published on 29 November 2024, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) the British Embassy in Jakarta have had with the Government of Indonesia on the potential impact of nickel mining in North Maluku on the threat to the survival of the uncontacted Hongana Manyawa indigenous people.

The UK and Indonesia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a Strategic Partnership on Critical Minerals on 29 November 2024. The MoU provides a framework for cooperation on resilient, responsible, and sustainable critical minerals' supply chains. This partnership was further enhanced through the Climate, Nature and Energy Pillar of the Strategic Partnership, launched by the Prime Minister and the President of Indonesia in January, reinforcing both governments' commitment to cooperation on responsible and sustainable critical minerals development.

Under this MoU, our Embassy in Jakarta continues to engage Indonesian partners, including the Government, through policy dialogue and technical cooperation to encourage alignment with international standards on responsible mining, including the protection of Indigenous Peoples, like the Hongana Manyawa in North Maluku, and local communities.