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Media Advisory

The Third UN World Conference is taking place from 14 to 18 March 2015, in the city of Sendai which lies the Tohoku region heavily affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011. The conference opened three days after the commemoration of the fourth anniversary of that disaster, and has also offered an opportunity to showcase Sendai's remarkable recovery.

The main conference venue is the Sendai International Center. The media center and main press conference rooms are located in the Shirakashi room, Third Floor.

Many events are also being organized in the city of Sendai, the Sendai City Museum and Tohoku University, which are located near the convention center.
 
 

The UN World Conference has three main components:

  • An inter-governmental segment including Heads of State and government ministers who are discussing and aim to adopt a new Framework for Action on Disaster Risk Reduction and political declaration. The current Hyogo Framework for Action was adopted at the last World Conference in January 2005, weeks after the Indian Ocean Tsunami killed over 227,000 people.
  • A Multi-stakeholder segment that will bring together key actors from different sectors of civil society including academics, youth, business, farmers, trade unions, indigenous people, older persons, persons living with disabilities, mayors, media and NGOs who will commit to concrete actions to build a more resilient world.
  • A public forum to enhance the reach of the World Conference beyond UN walls, including a film competition, a market place, public forum, field visits as well as an architect exhibition.

Media are invited to attend all sessions. Opening and closing ceremony areas and sessions in the inter-governmental segment may be restricted but will be webcast. Media will be advised and invited to register if necessary.

Other opportunities for the media:

  • Media will be informed every day through a regular press briefing and other print and visual materials.
  • In collaboration with UN System partners and the Department of Public Information, various advocacy products and activities will be developed to reach out to the general public and other target audiences.
  • The official website showcases the latest news and information about the issues discussed at the UN Conference, including stories from the field and multimedia products.
  • Social media is being coordinated across the UN system, using Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr etc. Three hashtags will promote the Conference: #WCDRR #in4sendai #roadt2Sendai.
  • Press materials: UNISDR together with its partners have produced an online press kit, including fact sheets, backgrounders to provide the media with a coherent package of the latest data, news and information on disaster risk reduction.
  • A media contact list to direct journalists to the relevant media officers across the UN System has been compiled and posted online, as well as a list of experts available for interviews. A list of high-level personalities attending the Conference has been made available to journalists registered confirmed to attend the World Conference.
  • The UN News Centre , reaching thousands of subscribers worldwide with breaking news and background stories, will also cover the conference. UNTV and UN Webcast will cover the conference so that the main proceedings are available via live streaming and archived video to a global audience.

Key Media Information

Press conferences: A full schedule of press conferences is being organized by UNISDR and other partners including regular briefings by the UNISDR spokesperson. The schedule of press briefings will be posted in advance online and a media alert will be sent out by e-mail each evening for the following day, with updates as needed.
Interviews: UNISDR will help media to arrange interviews with high-level guests and experts upon request. Several other UNISDR partners including UN agencies will also have press officers present at the Conference. You can also contact us if you wish to do an advance feature or news item on the Conference including interviews.
Multimedia: The UN Department of Public Information and UNISDR will provide comprehensive TV, webcast, radio, photo, print and internet coverage of the official plenary statements, round-tables and press conferences.
Webcasting: All plenary statements, inter-governmental segment and press conferences are webcast. The United Nations webcast services will provide live and on-demand coverage of the plenary and press conferences. The coverage will be available on the UN Web TV website in English and the original language of the speaker.

© 2014 UNISDR