Washington - Developing countries on Friday expressed concern that the financial turmoil engulfing advanced economies may yet spill over into poorer nations, and called for a boost in aid to help avert the economic crisis and deal with the ever-growing threat of climate change.

After a meeting of finance and development ministers from 24 developing countries in Washington, the group also warned of the "severe impact" surging food prices were having on the world's poor.

The World Bank on Wednesday reported food prices have risen 83 per cent in the last three years and are not projected to fall significantly until 2015.

But a series of forecasts by the International Monetary Fund this week showed that emerging economies have so far weathered the financial turmoil that has sparked a severe downturn in industrial nations - including a predicted recession in the United States.

The G24 ministers, gathering on the sidelines of the World Bank and IMF's traditional spring meetings, acknowledged their markets have been resilient to date.

But they expressed worry that "unfolding events and downside risks could have important spillovers," including higher inflation, a reduction in capital inflows from richer nations and lower export demand.

The group called for "stepped-up assistance" from advanced economies to deal with the possibility of a greater slowdown, as well as aid to combat the effects of global warming that are likely to hit hardest the poorest nations of the world.

International aid has stalled since 2005, the World Bank reported this week, despite a pledge at the year's Group of Eight summit of industrial nations to boost spending 50 billion dollars by 2010.

The IMF and World Bank themselves came under criticism from the G24 for still failing to give developing nations equal voting rights in the international lending institutions' decisions.

The IMF's executive board last month voted for a modest increase in the share of developing countries' voting power, as part of a long-sought after compromise between richer and poorer countries.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick on Thursday promised to start his own reform process at the development bank's meetings this weekend.

The G24 said it would not be satisfied until the "firm and binding goal" of equal voting rights was achieved in both institutions. (dpa)