U.N. Disaster Conference to Start in Sendai on Saturday

Tokyo, March 12 (Jiji Press)--The third U.N. World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction will begin in the northeastern Japan city of Sendai. Miyagi Prefecture, on Saturday, bringing together leaders or ministerial-level officials from over 100 countries. Including working-level officials, the number of participating countries is expected to exceed the number at the previous conference, held in Kobe, western Japan, in 2005, when representatives from 168 countries attended. It will be one of the biggest international meetings held so far in Japan, a government official said. The past two U.N. disaster conferences were more like working-level meetings. However, the United Nations passed a resolution to upgrade the upcoming meeting to top-level talks. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and several top officials from developing countries in Asia and Africa will take part in the conference. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will announce an initiative on cooperation for disaster preparedness as the Japanese government sees the conference as a chance to pass on lessons learned from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that hit areas, including Sendai, and the nation's disaster mitigation technologies. Abe is expected to underline the importance of the so-called "build back better" policy, which makes cities more resistant to disasters following reconstruction. At the conference, participants will discuss new U.N. disaster risk reduction guidelines for 2016 and beyond. They plan to set a target for 2030 to curb the number of victims and economic losses amid concerns that such disasters are on the rise. The target is expected to be adopted along with a joint statement to be announced on Wednesday, the final day of the conference. Plenary meetings according to topic, as well as working-level sessions by experts, will also be held. A tour of areas affected by the 2011 disaster will also be available. Some 40 officials have already registered for a visit to Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s <9501> disaster-stricken Fukushima No. 1 power plant, the site of Japan's worst-ever nuclear accident. END