On cash, money should indeed change hands both for moral reasons (rich countries are largely responsible for the problem so far but poor ones will suffer most) and for practical ones (some poor countries do not have access to the capital they need to invest in mitigation).

ECONOMIST: The Copenhagen Summit

For most people in poor countries, he thinks, mobile phones are fast becoming the main communications tool, schoolbook, vaccination record, family album and many other things.

ECONOMIST: When everybody becomes a nomadic monitor

And they can focus their overseas aid on the issue that is most difficult for poor countries to deal with themselves: disease.

ECONOMIST: The Johannesburg summit

Many poor countries provide legal protection for workers that rivals that in the most welfare-minded western European countries.

ECONOMIST: A new report gives governments some facts to ponder

However, commentators said the promises on education were vague, with the most specific proposal being for multinational lending bodies to allow poor countries to replace some debt repayments with spending on education.

BBC: NEWS | Americas | Cuba and Panama call summit truce