Washington - Developing countries warned wealthier nations to meet their aid commitments and help avoid a spill-over of the financial turmoil that could prompt the collapse of some poorer countries' economies.

Ministers and central bankers from 24 developing countries meeting in Washington warned that their economies were now being struck by three crises - the financial turmoil as well as food and energy price surges - and would need help pulling themselves back from the brink.

In a joint statement, the G24 bloc said the "financial contagion" was already turning away investors and drying up funding in some emerging economies, some of which were in need of new loans. The International Monetary Fund's offer Thursday to restart an emergency loan programme was "long overdue."

Jean-Claude Masangu Mulongo, head of the Congolese central bank and chair of the G24 bloc, criticized wealthy nations for coming up with the funds to rescue their own economies while backing out of promises of aid. He said Africa needed 25 billion dollars in new funds.

"Money was found to bail-out Wall Street, but the 25 billion dollars promised to Africa has not been mobilized because of complications," Mulongo quipped.

Syrian central bank head Adib Malayeh warned that the banking sectors of some developing countries "could collapse under the weight" of the kind of financial turmoil currently being seen in advanced economies.

"In the developing world we will also feel the effects but the developed countries have the means to deal with the problem," he said.

The G24 called for more international coordination to avoid a "protracted deterioration" of both the financial and wider economic world.

The spreading crisis was another sign that the global economic institutions needed to be reformed "to reflect the realities of the global economy," the statement said.

Developing countries have long been calling for more votes in the IMF and World Bank. (dpa)