Iranian Geopark Expert Wins Global Seat in UNESCO

In a formal letter, the Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization gave the seat to Amir-Kazemi.

This is the highest position that an Iranian national has so far managed to win in the field of geoparks in the world, ISNA reported.

Kazemi has been presenting books and articles on geo-tourism and geoparks for 15 years.

UNESCO Global Geoparks are single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development.

Their bottom-up approach of combining conservation with sustainable development while involving local communities is becoming increasingly popular.

At present, there are 120 UNESCO Global Geoparks in 33 countries.

On 17 November 2015, the 195 Member States of UNESCO ratified the creation of a new label, the UNESCO Global Geoparks, during the 38th General Conference of the Organisation. This expresses governmental recognition of the importance of managing outstanding geological sites and landscapes in a holistic manner.

The Organization supports Member States’ efforts to establish UNESCO Global Geoparks all around the world, in close collaboration with the Global Geoparks Network.