Rhodri Morgan Must Demand Fair Trade at Earth Summit (and sort out the Assembly when he gets back)

On the opening day of the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development Friends of the Earth Cymru has called on Rhodri Morgan to use his visit to the conference to call for strong new global trade rules. The group hopes that Mr Morgan will take a lead in South Africa on tackling corporations, and sort out his own house on return.

Friends of the Earth Cymru has been concerned at recent attempts by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) to position itself as a world-leader on sustainable development. While admitting the that the Assembly is "streets ahead of Blair and in a different galaxy from Bush" the group says that WAG has failed several key tests on sustainability and looks set to fail more.

The campaigners have examined the recent performance of both WAG and the Assembly as a whole to award a mark out of ten, asses overall performance and identify key tests before the next election in May 2003.

The analysis, says the group, shows the Assembly's record to be patchy at best:

• Energy: 4/10. Assembly Government has blocked or delayed renewable energy schemes. The jury is out, as we wait for the results of the Economic Development Committee's Renewable Energy consultation. Will it set a robust target of 30% of Welsh electricity from renewable sources by 2010?
• Transport: 3/10. Despite a few good small schemes, the bulk of Assembly transport spending is still going on roads instead of cash-starved public transport. Will Environment, Transport and Planning Minster Sue Essex stand up to tarmac hungry local authorities and alter her spending priorities?
• Agriculture: 7/10. The Assembly has a good vision for sustainable agriculture, and a tough policy on GM crops. A key test is coming soon: how will Agriculture Minister Mike German respond to pressure from the UK Government to allow the commercialisation of GM crops in the UK?
• Waste: 5/10. WAG earns points for pumping cash into local councils' recycling schemes. But it failed a crucial test in June setting the weak target of just 40% of waste to be recycled by 2010. How many incinerators will the Assembly see built to deal with the rest of our waste?
• Planning: 4/10. Assembly has released good guidance to local authorities. Sue Essex doesn't want to change the system to give real rights to people to appeal against local councils' planning decisions. A final announcement is expected soon - will the Labour/Lib Dem Government give people the rights demanded by Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives in Wales.

Julian Rosser, Head of Campaigns for Friends of the Earth Cymru commented:

"We welcome Rhodri Morgan's decision to attend the World Summit and to speak about the Assembly's commitment to sustainable development. While he is there he must take the opportunity to call for international rules to ensure that big business behaves responsibly, wherever it operates in the world.

"We do welcome his plans to participate in the creation of a Global Network of Regions on Sustainable Development while he is at the Summit and hope that we can all benefit from sharing experiences of both good and bad practice with others.

"We also hope he will take the take the time to consider his government's record on sustainability. WAG can launch as many schemes as it likes; the Assembly will be judged on how it spends its money and how it legislates. While it has taken some very welcome steps it is still failing to deliver on some very real issues that impact on the quality of life of people in Wales and around the world."

Notes

1. For more information on Friends of the Earth Cymru campaigns and the policy points above see http://www.foecymru.co.uk/ / http://www.cyddcymru.co.uk/
2. The World Summit on Sustainable Development will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from Mon 26 Aug to Wed 4 Sep 2002.
3. 'Sustainable development' means 'meeting our needs without compromising the ability of others to meet their needs'.
4. Friends of the Earth International have proved that some top corporations which claim to be developing sustainable policies, are still causing major damage to people, communities and the environment. See the new report 'Clashes with Corporate Giants', available from http://www.foei.org/
5. Individuals around the world are sending sounds and messages to http://www.radioearthsummit.org/ to be broadcast by Friends of the Earth at the World Summit.
The messages will also be played as part of Hear Our Voice, a giant art installation to be launched in Johannesburg during the Summit.