UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called for disarmament among developing countries to contribute to world peace and development, Xinhua reported.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the 15th summit of Non- Aligned Movement (NAM), Ban said the NAM is committed to peace and placed high value of the world free of weapons of mass destruction.
"All countries should recognize that the disarmament contributes to development and therefore is critical to peace," he said.
"Now more than ever, the engagement of developing countries is very vital to achieving global solutions to our common problems," he added, noting that with the support of many NAM countries, the nuclear non-proliferation is gaining momentum.
Challenges of nuclear threat remain immense, and so does small arms, he said, calling for continued disarmament efforts.
Ban's remarks on disarmament reflected his concern over the military ambitions in developing world which have destabilized regional peace.
Coinciding with Ban's appeal, nuclear-armed South Asian foes India and Pakistan are expected to meet alongside the summit on Thursday aiming at relaunching stalled peace talks.
Bilateral ties of India and Pakistan deteriorated after bombings in the Indian commercial hub Mumbai in November last year which killed 166 people.
The 15th NAM summit opened here Wednesday seeking more solidarity among developing countries to tackle major international or regional issues, including the ongoing world financial crisis.
The movement, which represents nearly two-thirds of UN member countries and comprises 55 percent of the world population, focuses on striving for interests of developing countries all over the world.