Representatives from the Welsh assembly and 34 other regional governments have descended on Cardiff for a four-day conference on sustainable development.

Around 400 delegates were expected to take part in the event, at which issues such as trade, food, tourism, local government and production were being discussed.

The Cardiff Bay assembly is one of only three governments that has the issue of sustainable development included in its constitution.

"At the heart of sustainable development is the simple idea of ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come," first minister Rhodri Morgan said ahead of the event.

"There is no viable alternative to developing in a sustainable way, and it must be tackled on a global scale.

"It is an area where regional, rather than national, governments are making the most progress.

"This is perhaps because regional governments such as ours in Wales are close enough to the people to match our actions to the needs of the people while being strategic enough to make the links between areas of policy.

"As devolution and decentralisation become more common, so too I hope will the reality of a sustainable future."