The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon has called on developed countries who use nuclear power to reduce the impact of nuclear accidents. Addressing the first ever World Reconstruction Conference on the sidelines of the 3rd Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva, the Secretary General said the March 11 disaster in Fukushima, Japan, has shown that even the most advanced countries are vulnerable to disaster and are not immune to accidents. Ban Ki-Moon said the nuclear accident in Chernobil twenty five years ago and the recent Fukushima disaster have shown large gaps and defects to the use of nuclear energy. He therefore called on countries with nuclear energies to look closely to safety and quality assurance and regulatory oversight. “How can we ensure coherence, how can we effectively deal with the issues associated with nuclear accidents, are we doing well to tackle the issue of nuclear accidents?” he asked. He noted that the Fukushima accident has shown that a lot has to be done. He has therefore convened a high level ministerial meeting in September this year which will try to address the issue of nuclear energy and nuclear safety. He also stressed the need and importance of nuclear energy for power supply as well as for agricultural purposes and so we should be careful how it is discussed. Story by Eddie Ameh/Net2 TV.