NGOs slam results of UN financial crisis meeting

* Non-binding finance reform proposals to be adopted

* US, EU to distance themselves from final declaration

* Venezuela's Chavez, Bolivia's Morales never arrived

By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS, June 26 (Reuters) - Anti-poverty groups voiced deep disappointment on Friday with the results of a three-day meeting on the global financial crisis, saying participants failed to address the plight of poor nations.

After weeks of negotiations on a set of proposals for reforming the global financial system, members of the U.N. General Assembly were expected to adopt a 15-page declaration that is short on specifics but includes a call for increased U.N. involvement in global economic policy-making.

Non-governmental organizations that focus on combating global poverty supported the idea of greater U.N. involvement in the global economy, but said the declaration was inadequate.

The Global Social Economy Group, or GSEG, an umbrella group that represents over 200 trade unions, social movements and non-governmental organizations, said in a statement that it was "seriously disappointed in the official outcome document."

"In no way do the results of the conference measure up to the actions needed to address the scale and depth of the economic meltdown, most evident in the jobs crisis, particularly in developing countries," the statement said.

GSEG said the declaration was little more than a non-binding appeal for strong global fiscal stimulus measures, the delivery of aid promises, debt relief and additional grants for poor countries.

Gemma Adaba of the International Trade Union Confederation said the declaration was "so unclear on decisive actions." She added that it lacked mechanisms to ensure that rich countries keep their commitments to boost aid to the developing world and carry out needed reforms at the IMF and World Bank.

Diplomats from the Group of 77 bloc of developing nations complained that the final document was disappointing, but said it was positive that it touched on all the key issues.

"You have to compromise at the U.N.," one senior G77 diplomat told Reuters. "Otherwise you'll end up with nothing."

SEPARATE STATEMENTS

Adding to the problems, diplomats said the United States and European Union were expected to issue statements distancing their delegations from some language in the declaration, which they said would be adopted unanimously by the roughly 140 nations participating in the conference.

The diplomats said the U.S. and European statements would raise doubts about how committed they were to implementing the declaration.

Taylor Royle of the Catholic development aid alliance CIDSE said the U.S. government disliked parts of the declaration calling for equal gender and geographic representation at the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Planning for the three-day conference was fraught with difficulties. It was first scheduled for June 1-3, but last month U.N. General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto postponed it to this week when it became clear negotiators had no agreement on the draft financial reform proposals.

The final declaration was watered down from an earlier version prepared by D'Escoto that Western delegations complained was too radical for them.

Although the meeting has been billed as a summit, no Western leaders attended. Less than a dozen presidents and prime ministers, mostly Latin American and Caribbean, showed up. Others taking part have sent lower-level delegates.

Originally the top speakers at the conference were supposed to be three leftist firebrands -- Bolivian President Evo Morales, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. In the end, a speech by left-wing Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa was the meeting's top event.

The run-up to the conference highlighted sharp differences between radicals who want to give the 192-nation General Assembly more say in tackling the financial crisis and major powers intent on keeping control in their own hands.