A high level United Nations conference in Doha has proved a lost opportunity for instituting reforms to the global financial system to help poor countries, say leading development agencies Christian Aid and ActionAid.

Christian Aid says poor countries should be able to use their own wealth and resources to help them overcome poverty, and is urging people to pressure PM Gordon Brown to end tax loopholes that undermine this possibility.

The global financial crisis should not derail progress on fighting poverty worldwide, religious leaders have said, adding that the current financial market turmoil makes attempts to tackle deprivation all the more urgent.

On the eve of the United Nations meeting on Millennium Development Goals in New York, the Archbishop of Canterbury has underlined the firm commitment of the Anglican Church to continue to work for the eradication of poverty.