Tokyo, Jumada I 23, 1436, Mar 14, 2015, SPA -- It is "everybody's business" to prevent natural disasters, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Saturday, urging rich countries and businesses to help the poorest and most vulnerable people deal with the rising threat from climate change, dpa reported. "We must especially help the poorest and most vulnerable people," Ban told the UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan. Ban met at the conference with Vanuatu President Baldwin Lonsdale, whose small Pacific island-nation has been badly hit by a tropical cyclone. The UN chief told his audience: "Climate change is intensifying the risks for hundreds of millions of people, particularly in small island developing states and coastal areas. "Those states need our special attention. But disaster risk reduction is in everybody's interest - and it is everybody's business," Ban said. "An earthquake in one country shakes up financial markets in another. Tropical storms in one region cause economic turbulence in another. "Disaster risk reduction is a frontline defence against the impact of climate change. It is a smart investment for business and a wise investment in saving lives." Ban said natural disasters were costing the world 300 billion dollars annually. -- SPA 19:20 LOCAL TIME 16:20 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w