A global early warning system against natural disasters was set up Wednesday at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction held here.

The International Early Warning Program (IEWP) was established to improve resilience to all types of natural hazards including droughts, floods, typhoons, hurricanes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruption and wildland fires.

The system involves a string of major United Nations organizations, like the World Meteorological Organization, the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization.

A special session was also convened on the day at the conference to discuss the establishment of an early warning systemin the Indian Ocean region, likely by June next year.

The conference became so topical in the aftermath of the devastating tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean on Dec. 26 which has killed more than 160,000 people.

The IEWP will include wider information flow and emphasize the importance of community education about disaster preparedness.

"This new program will help bring safety, security and peace ofmind. Millions of people worldwide owe their lives and livelihoodsto effective early warnings systems," said Salvano Briceno, director of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

About 478,000 people were killed in natural and technological disasters over the past 10 years, with more than 2.5 billion affected, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The five-day conference ends on Saturday and is expected to adopt an Framework for Action for the next 10 years on disaster reduction. Enditem