Aid charities have urged the political parties to put help for the world's poorest people at the heart of the campaign for the May 6 General Election, a day ahead of Sunday's World Poverty Day.

All three of the main party leaders are expected to reflect the World Poverty Day message in their campaigning.

And more than 180 civil society organisations have signed up to a shared Vote Global manifesto, setting out the key political commitments necessary for Britain to play its full part in fighting poverty and injustice around the world.

The manifesto, available at voteglobal.org.uk, calls for more and better aid and debt relief, action on climate change, reform to make the global economy work for the poor, better governance and an improved international response to conflicts.

Oxfam chief executive Barbara Stocking warned of the danger that the poor people of developing countries could become "the forgotten faces" of the 2010 poll.

Ms Stocking said that 1.4 billion people worldwide were still living on less than 75p a day, and repeated calls for a Robin Hood Tax on financial transactions to help them.

"It is vital that whichever party wins the next election ensures that Britain continues to lead the world in the face of the fresh challenges posed by the economic crisis and climate change," she said.

Dorcas Erskine, head of public affairs at ActionAid said: "The UK public has stood by poor countries in good and bad times, so it is right that the leadership of all the main parties have followed the public lead and committed to reaching our international aid obligations.

"But development is not just about aid. It is ultimately about removing the obstacles that keep poor people poor so they can stand on their own two feet.

"This requires leadership and vision from countries that are richer to help change the world for the benefit of those who are poorer."