Singapore - Singapore Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean said Wednesday that worldwide security is threatened by the effects of the global economic downturn, piracy, terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Natural disasters and pandemics are now compounded and made more acute by the severe economic crisis the world is facing, Teo added.

Speaking at the Asia-Pacific Intelligence Chiefs Conference in Singapore, Teo said the full impact of the downturn has yet to unfold. Hardships like rising numbers of job losses would create additional social and political stress, and, if not managed properly, could lead to greater friction and tensions between nations.

"We saw this in our region here in South-East Asia in the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis," Teo said in a transcript of his speech provided to the press.

Singapore's Defence Minister stressed the importance of concerted multilateral cooperation to tackle the security problems. "We have learnt that these challenges cannot be resolved by any single country acting on its own," Teo said.

More than 50 delegates from 25 countries attend the conference. (dpa)