Globalization per se is not enough to help the poor:

"The world's least developed nations are not benefiting as they should from globalisation, a UN report says.

Although poorer nations were showing encouraging signs of growth, their populations were not seeing the advantages of it, the report says.

It says poverty remains a mass phenomenon, and international trade - which should contribute to poverty reduction - has not really done so. "

This follows a World Bank/IMF report last week that warned that "most developing countries will struggle to meet agreed United Nations targets for tackling problems of poverty." It called on richer nations to take the lead in addressing the root causes of poverty.

James Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank, called on governments to change their priorities and spend more on aid.

"The numbers are roughly these: $900bn on defence; $300bn to $350bn on agriculture and $50bn to $60bn on aid, of which about half gets there in cash. That is the fundamental imbalance," he said.

"So we can make all the noise we want, but unless we deal with the fundamentals we'll be playing at the fringes."

Addressing the root causes of poverty will also help address one of the root causes of terrorism.