This morning I convened a high-level meeting to take stock of the international response to the latest developments resulting from the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Participants included: Yukio Amano, Director General of the IAEA; Helen Clark, Administrator of UNDP; Tibor Toth, Executive Secretary of the CTBTO Preparatory Commission; Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of World Meteorological Organization; and senior representatives of WHO, FAO, WFP, UNEP, and the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

The close collaboration between the international organizations involved in support and relief efforts has played an important role in bolstering the capacity of the Government of Japan and providing vital information to the public.

The international organizations responsible for coordinating action with Governments and other organizations have pursued extraordinary information-sharing measures. The existing institutional arrangement, including the Joint Radiation Emergency Management Plan of the International Organisations, with the IAEA as the main coordinating body, needs to be reviewed and strengthened.

I also encourage States to consider lessons learned and to adopt appropriate measures in an innovative way to strengthen the nuclear safety regime and ensure that the highest possible standards are implemented to safeguard health, food supply and the environment as well as reviewing the disaster risk reduction framework.

The situation in Japan has nonetheless given rise to calls to reassess the international emergency response framework and the nuclear safety regime. I support these calls. While States continue to be primarily responsible for maintaining the safety of their nuclear installations, the International Atomic Energy Agency has a central role to play in the further development and universal application of the highest possible safety standards. The 5th Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety, which will be held in early April, is expected to provide a useful forum in this regard. I also look forward to the High-level Meeting on Safety and Innovative Use of Nuclear Energy, which will be held in Kiev on 19 April.

On behalf of all the international organizations involved in addressing this situation, I wish to reassure the people and Government of Japan that we stand with them as they work to overcome this disaster and recover from the devastating earthquake and tsunami.