At a G7 meeting in London, finance ministers from the world's richest countries have agreed to offer up to 100% debt relief for some of the world's poorest nations.
The pledge came at the end of a two-day meeting and was announced by Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown.
The same meeting saw the US veto a British-led initiative to tackle global poverty, on the basis that it was unworkable.
The programme for tackling poverty in the developing world has received strong moral support from former South African president Nelson Mandela, who was attending the G7 conference.
