20th Anniversary of the Establishment of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network

Attending the ceremony were Mr. Ha Kim Ngoc, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, President of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO; Ms. Lidia Brito, Assistant Director General of UNESCO for Natural Sciences; Mr. Nikolas Zouros, President of the UNESCO Global Geopark Network; Mr. Jin XiaoChi, Vice President of the Executive Board of the UNESCO Global Geopark Network, Coordinator of the UNESCO Global Geopark Network for the Asia-Pacific region; ; Mr. Guy Martini, Senior Expert, Secretary General of the UNESCO Global Geopark Network.

On behalf of Cao Bang province, there were comrades: Mr.Tran Hong Minh, member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation; Mr.Hoang Xuan Anh, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Head of the Conference Organizing Committee.

In his opening speech, Mr. Nickolas Zouros, President of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network, affirmed the important role of the network in helping local communities of the network face the challenges of climate change and the consequences of natural disasters. He said that protecting communities to help them face the consequences of natural disasters and climate change are important priorities that the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network has been aiming for over the past 20 years. Hopefully, all countries will continue to work together to protect and promote the values ​​of global geoparks around the world. 

At the ceremony, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Hoang Xuan Anh, Head of the Conference Organizing Committee expressed the honor of the province to be chosen as the venue for this meaningful event. This is an important milestone for the Global Geopark Network (GGN), marking the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Global Geoparks Network,aiming to promote three main goals: preserving geological heritage and planet Earth, educating the community about Earth science and promoting local sustainable development.

Cao Bang has great potential for tourism development and is considered the "green pearl" of the Northeast region of Vietnam - a place where attractive natural and cultural values ​​converge to develop tourism. In 2015, when Cao Bang was able to access the global geopark model with great support from the Vietnam Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, UNESCO experts and was recognized as an official member of the Global Geopark Network in April 2018, through the construction and development of the UNESCO Global Geopark title, Cao Bang tourism grew quite rapidly; the conservation of tourism resources was focused on; many activities to support and improve people's livelihoods were implemented; people actively participated and joined hands with the government to preserve traditional cultural values ​​associated with tourism development.

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Hoang Xuan Anh added: From 2020 to the end of August 2024, the total number of tourists to the province reached over 5.4 million, reaching 108% of the plan; total revenue reached over 3,100 billion VND, reaching 103% of the plan, exceeding the target set for the period 2020 - 2025.. Thereby, it shows that the construction and development of the UNESCO Global Geopark title in Cao Bang is in line with the socio-economic development orientation of the province and brings many benefits to local people. Affirming that in the coming time, the province will continue to pay more attention to promoting the value of Non Nuoc Cao Bang Global Geopark.

On behalf of the provincial leaders, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee wished the Global Geopark Network to grow more and more, contributing more to the development of humanity; wished all members of the Network a wonderful time and many unforgettable memories at the 8th Asia-Pacific Geopark Network held at Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark.

At the UNESCO Representative Ceremony, the UNESCO Global Geopark Network and delegates reviewed memories, activities and shared achievements over the years. Comments: The UNESCO Global Geopark Network has overcome many obstacles and challenges to develop strongly with 213 global geoparks in 48 countries around the world as it is today. Delegates highly appreciated the organization of the Ceremony in particular and the 8th APGN Conference of Cao Bang, despite the fact that the province was facing losses and difficulties in responding to and overcoming the severe consequences of storms and floods.Sharing joy about the achievements of the UNESCO Global Geopark Network, promoting the leading role of the network; At the same time, continue to affirm the determination and continuous efforts of global geoparks in the network and countries with global geoparks to participate in perfecting the construction, operation and promotion of the role of global geoparks, making joint efforts to protect "Mother Earth", associated with sustainable development goals.