Hong Kong Secretary for Development Carrie Lam will lead a 220-member delegation to attend the 2009 Mainland and Hong Kong Construction Industry Forum in Chengdu, Sichuan province of the Mainland, on April 8 and 9, according to the government website on Friday.

The forum is jointly organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the Development Bureau of Hong Kong. It has been an annual event since 1997 to promote the exchange of construction technology and expertise, and to enhance co-operation between the construction industry of the Mainland and Hong Kong.

The theme of this year's forum is Sustainable Urban Form: From Disaster Risk Reduction and Prevention to Quality Construction. Speakers at the forum will include renowned experts on disaster risk prevention and reduction and earthquake matters.

It is hoped that the event will provide an opportunity for the construction industry on the Mainland and in Hong Kong to share their experiences and explore new ideas for rendering the best support to the reconstruction works in the Sichuan earthquake- stricken areas.

The forum will feature three interactive discussion sessions --Lessons learnt from disaster, Disaster risk prevention and reduction and Quality construction.

The Hong Kong delegation will comprise government officials, professionals and senior executives from the construction industry, trade associations, professional institutes, as well as tertiary education institutes.