Jill Evans MEP at the Earth Summit In Johannesburg

On the first official day of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, it seems that a joint proposal from the European Union and the United States may offer a glimmer of hope of an agreement.

Until now there has been intense disagreement on over a hundred and fifty of the six hundred or so conclusions in the final draft document. This new proposal deals with issues of trade and finance: one of the main sources of disagreement, particularly between the developed and developing countries.

It would give developing countries more access to markets and includes a commitment to increase development aid, but from the little information we have, it appears very weak. Whether it will lead to a productive discussion remains to be seen.

But no-one is expecting the kind of radical policies we need to counteract the effects of globalisation. For that to happen would require a change of attitude on the part of government leaders so that they put people and not profit at the heart of their decision making. I believe that this is one of the most important things that this Summit could achieve.

Another is a recognition that concrete action plans and timetables are essential if treaties are to be worth more then the paper they're written on. This was emphasised in a meeting we had on Saturday with Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. He called for binding laws on the environment which would force countries to comply with international agreements.

There are now more than 300 international conventions and protocols but if governments ignore them there is no action that can be taken against them. It is just as important to implement existing agreements as to propose new ones. This has been illustrated graphically in the past few days by the scandal of the United States threatening Zambia, one of the poorest countries in the world, with starvation unless they accepted American genetically modified food aid.

This is the worst kind of exploitation, but could not have happened if the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety had come into force. This was one of the most positive outcomes of the Rio summit ten years ago and would give countries the right to ban GMOs. Because only about about half of the fifty countries needed to sign up to it have done so, it can't give countries like Zambia the protection they need to exercise their rights.

At the official opening ceremony of the Summit on Sunday night, South African President Thabo Mbeki told us that this should be a moment of hope and not despair. He called on everyone to unite in action to achieve sustainable development and defeat "global apartheid", the increasing gap between rich and poor in the world.

Members of the European Free Alliance delgation with Miriam Makeba. Jill is on the left, and next to her is Plaid Cymru MP Simon Thomas.

And then in a very interesting discussion session organized by the European Free Alliance on cultural diversity, I had the privilege of meeting the great singer and anti-apartheid campaigner Miriam Makeba. She thanked everyone who had raised their voices against apartheid and called on us not to forsake South Africa, the youngest democracy in the world, but to help them "to stand, walk and run". "We have the flag", she said, "but not the money". She finished her contribution with a song which brought tears to the eyes of many in the meeting.

Another speaker at the session was Professor Hennie Strydom, leader of the Pan African Language Board. It was fascinating to compare what has been done on language policy in South Africa with our strategy for the Welsh language. Their constitution gives official status to eleven languages and instructs the government to "elevate the status and advance the use of indigenous languages".

But a recent survey of local government officials had shown that little was being done in practice and the reason often given was that "everyone speaks English". Many parents sent their children to English schools because they believed it was the language of progress, an experience that many people in Wales are only too familiar with. Professor Strydom said that language was the most widely discussed issue apart from the constitution itself. That's something I believe we in Wales have in common with them too and when looking at Wales in a global context it is a positive and not a negative factor.

Speakers from many countries reinforced the message that language and culture are essential elements of sustainable development. These issues are now on the agenda of the Summit itself, which is a very welcome recognition of their importance to biodiversity.

The atmosphere in Johannesburg is remarkably positive given the collective pessimism about the summit's likely failure. I still find it strange that after so many years of boycotting anything South African, I am actually here in the country. But this reminds me that massive change can be brought about by people, and I believe that everyone here is aware of significance of the Summit's location. Tens of thousands of people have gathered here with a common aim: to save our planet.

In the words of Thabo Mbeki, "Through our actions, governments, business, labour and civil society, working in solidarity and cooperation, we can and must be the custodians of a truly positive legacy of hope, of prosperity, a better life to all humanity and a secure future for the global environment".

Diwedd/Ends.