The fragility of life and livelihoods in the developing world have been brought shockingly home by the devastation wrought by the tsunami.

But while it highlights the plight of the marginalised in Asia, the tsunami may also divert effort from the world's poorest countries. This year's campaign for greater aid, debt relief and trade access for nations stuck in long-term poverty, which already faced obstacles, may now find itself competing for money and attention with a more immediate disaster.