A senior UN official urged Western oil companies to donate 10 cents from the proceeds of every barrel they sell to help the world's poorest countries develop.

'Our appeal goes out to oil producers to assist the 50 least developed countries,' said Anwarul Karim Chowdhury, the UN undersecretary-general for the least developed countries.
The request did not apply to oil companies in developing nations, he said in a statement.
 The UN classifies 50 nations as 'least developed countries,' 34 of them in Africa.