Donor countries and nations affected by the Asian tsunami disaster have asked the United Nations to begin work on an early warning system in the Indian Ocean.
UN agencies said they were ready to start work immediately and that a system could be ready in 12 to 18 months.
The agreement came at a conference on disaster prevention in the Japanese city of Kobe.
Millions of dollars have been pledged for the project by the European Union, Japan and others.
More than 226,000 people were killed and millions others were left homeless following the tsunami on St Stephen's Day.
