Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has said he will help the United Nations bring the internet to refugee camps, The New York Times newspaper reported.

The Facebook founder and CEO made the announcement as he addressed the UN Private Sector Forum.

"Connectivity will help refugees better access support from the aid community and maintain their links to families," he said.

Zuckerberg called for universal internet access to be made a global priority.

He said wide internet access "needs to be at the heart of the global development strategy" to address new challenges and needs of the new generation.

In the long term, Facebook will help UN agencies develop tools to track progress toward implementing the development goals, Mr Zuckerberg said.

"Data can help us make smarter decisions but only if you can interpret it quickly and with confidence, so we want to help the UN make decisions that will advance our goals," he added.

The UN adopted a new set of 17 development goals on Friday designed to end poverty and hunger and fight inequality over the next 15 years.