'Rich states £10bn a year short on aid'

The report called on world leaders, who are meeting at UN headquarters in New York on September 25, to step up efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The MDGs, which were adopted by world leaders at a summit in 2000, include cutting extreme poverty by half, ensuring universal primary school education and starting to reverse the HIV/Aids pandemic, all by 2015.

The 52-page report, which was produced by more than 20 UN bodies and key global financial institutions, focuses on progress in achieving the goal of creating a "global partnership for development."

According to the report, international aid to developing countries climbed steadily from 1997, reaching a peak of $107 billion (£61bn) in 2005, "boosted by exceptional debt relief in that year."

In 2006, however, international aid dropped by 4.7 per cent and it fell a further 8.4 per cent in 2007.

UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon pointed out that the report "sounds a strong alarm."

"The main message is that, while there has been progress on several counts, delivery on commitments made by member states has been deficient and has fallen behind schedule," Mr Ban observed.

"We are already in the second half of our contest against poverty. We are running out of time," he stressed.

Mr Ban noted that total aid from the world's major donor nations amounted to just 0.28 per cent of their combined national income, far below the UN target of 0.7 per cent.

The only countries to reach or exceed that target were Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

He pointed out that, in order to meet the 2010 target set at the G-8 summit in 2005, aid to developing countries will have to increase by $18 billion a year.

Of that, US$7.3 billion (£4bn) would have to go to Africa, Mr Ban said.

The report's lead author Rob Vos of the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs said that over the last two years, "the United States, Japan, but also the European Union have reduced their development assistance.

"On average, the EU gives more in relative terms vis-a-vis their national income than the other principal donors, the United States and Japan," Mr Vos noted.

He insisted that "All of them have to step up their efforts to meet the commitments they've made."