Ahead of crucial trade talks, Alan Johnson has described the "tragedy" of the West's failure to tackle African poverty.
In a speech to the Foreign Policy Centre, the trade secretary urged progress on World Trade Organisation talks ahead of December's crunch meeting in Hong Kong.
Describing the agenda as of "historic importance," he said it was vital to drive forward the development agenda.
"If we don't do a deal at Hong Kong, we are left with the status quo," Johnson warned.
"And no-one will suffer more from that than developing countries."
A good result at Hong Kong could boost the global economy by more than $200bn, he said.
"Today’s trade barriers run like a huge wall across the world," Johnson added.
"On one side of the wall, we have unprecedented change and prosperity; new technologies and products; text messages, emails and DVDs.
"On the other, a billion people living on less than a dollar a day; millions with AIDS; hundreds of thousands of mothers dying in pregnancy and childbirth every year."
But the Cabinet minister accepted that the developed world "can't demand shock treatment liberalisation" from poorer countries.
"So my first priority for Hong Kong is that we must not force liberalisation on developing countries," he said.
"This is a development round. We must make sure that this is true - not just in name, but in intent and outcome as well. We reject forced liberalisation."
But Johnson said there was no room for developed world "hypocrisy" on trade.
"We must bring this wall of shame crashing down once and for all," he insisted.
"If we do this - by demonstrating that when we said this was a development round, we meant it - we will lift millions of the world's poorest out of poverty for good and entrench prosperity and security across the world. It's worth fighting for."
