A three-day meeting on disaster preparedness by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum economies wrapped up Wednesday with attendees reaffirming the necessity to formulate and promote business continuity plans to improve risk-management in the private sector.

A joint statement issued by cohosts Japan and the United States said the workshop, held in Sendai, was an important step toward realizing the joint commitment established by the two governments during a March 2010 APEC meeting, including ways to protect societies from threats including natural disasters.

"Themes included strengthening business and supply chain resilience as well as engaging the private sector in business continuity planning as part of a broader effort to facilitate trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region," the statement read.