The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, has urged ordinary people to step up the momentum for international debt relief by summoning a sense of "righteous anger" on behalf of the world's poorest citizens.

In a major address on poverty and international development, Dr Carey pointed out that more than a billion people are currently living on the equivalent of less than 60 pence a day. This was totally unacceptable, he said, given the resources at mankind's collective disposal.

"There is a justifiable anger, a righteous anger on behalf of those who suffer, which I believe we must feed and keep alive. It must be a spur to action - action by ourselves and by those we have the power to persuade and influence."

Dr Carey called on the world's richest countries, including Britain, to take a substantial leap forward at the G7 summit meeting in Germany in June. He urged leaders at their gathering in Cologne to "show the moral courage to at least make a start" on waiving the unpayable debt of poor nations.

At the same time Dr Carey, who was giving the annual Marlborough Brandt lecture in Wiltshire, acknowledged the efforts of government:

"Overseas aid and development are not generally high on the real political agenda of governments in this or other western countries. To put it bluntly, there aren't many votes in it. So I want to pay tribute to the seriousness with which ministers are approaching issues of international debt and poverty."

However, he went on to urge the Government to do more, by setting a timetable for Britain to meet the internationally agreed target for development assistance of 0.7% of GDP. "Such a step, I believe, would be widely applauded and set a brave example."

The Archbishop said he accepted there was still plenty of poverty and deprivation in Britain: "But that recognition does not discharge us individually or collectively from the need to look beyond our own national boundaries. Charity may begin at home, but I certainly don't believe it ends there."