Doha - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon on Saturday urged leading industrialized nations to not let efforts to control terrorism allow them to neglect the war on poverty.

Ban told delegates to the United Nations' International Conference on Financing for Development that the battle against poverty is just as important as the battle on terror. The conference is underway in Doha and set to conclude Tuesday.

He said he regretted that many world leaders had opted out of the convention, citing the need to focus on the effects of the financial crisis back home.

Non-governmental organizations also criticized the world's richer nations, accusing them of having misplaced priorities.

Among the attendees were French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, co-hosting the conference with the UN, said helping poor countries to develop would ultimately make the world safer for all.

However, he added that it is unfair to expect oil-rich nations to take on a disproportionately large share of the fight against poverty. (dpa)