Friends of the Earth Europe highlighted the lead role the EU would have to play in Johannesburg for agreeing an effective deal with concrete timetables, targets, dedicated funding and enforcement mechanism. 10 years after Rio governments would need to set ecological and social limits to economic globalisation that so far has led to disastrous environmental destruction and increasing poverty worldwide.

So far prospects for a positive global outcome looked grim. Few positive measures have been agreed and governments could even reverse some commitments made ten years ago at the Rio Earth Summit. The EU plays a key role in the negotiations.

"The EU must push for global commitment in favour of people and the environment. Our government leaders have the unique chance and responsibility of initiating binding rules for global business, which will be a prerequisite for sustainable development. Western corporations present in Johannesburg are pretending that they are already delivering sustainable development through voluntary initiatives, as currently promoted by the EU. This can in no way provide worldwide respect for minimum environmental and social standards, neither secure rights for citizens and communities to help provide them with sustainable livelihoods." said Dr. Martin Rocholl, director of Friends of the Earth Europe.

During the informal negotiations starting on Saturday the 23^rd however the EU and the US proposed jointly a new text on trade that utterly fails to address the issues of environmental protection, poverty relief and sustainable development that the Earth Summit has been convened to address. International NGOs blasted the EU and US for trying to stream roller the trade and globalisation agenda though the process. FoE warned that Johannesburg was being turned from Rio+10 into Doha+10 months.

"Instead of using the Earth Summit to respond to global concerns over deregulation and liberalisation, governments are pushing the World Trade Organisation's agenda and rebranding it as 'sustainable development'," said Friends of the Earth International's Daniel Mittler in Johannesburg.

Friends of the Earth International is preparing to bring the "people´s voice" to Johannesburg. At local actions in more than 15 countries, Friends of the Earth International has already collected thousands of demands to world leaders including via Radio Earth Summit (4).

For every demand collected, Friends of the Earth International will deliver a small figurine designed by local South African artists to the conference centre in Johannesburg on September 1st. This major art installation, which will also feature a 6-metre high "corporate giant", will have a clear message to governments: "Don´t let big business rule the world!".

Dr. Martin Rocholl, FoEE , tel: 02-542 01 80

Alexandra Wandel, FoEE, tel: +27-72-406 47 49
Daniel Mittler, Earth Summit Campaign Coordinator, +27 72 401 5394
Ricardo Navarro, Friends of the Earth International chair: + 27 72 4015392
Tony Juniper, Friends of the Earth International vice-chair: +27 72 4015393

(3) The USA, Australia, Canada but also OPEC countries have continuously fought against any new commitments to emerge from the Earth Summit.

(4) www.radioearthsummit.org

For daily updates and press releases from Friends of the Earth International: go to: www.foei.org/media/wssd.html or www.rio-plus-10.org