The first International Congress of UNESCO Geoparks in Greece and Cyprus will take place in Athens on Thursday and Friday.

The event is jointly organized by the Greek and Cypriot National Committees for UNESCO with the support of the Greek and Cypriot governments and the municipalities and regions that either have or want to create geoparks, as well as the Greek Geoparks Forum, administrations of Geoparks in Greece and Cyprus and universities and museums.

The aim of the congress is to promote the role of geoparks and their contribution to sustainable local growth.

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.

Greek Culture Minister Lydia Koniordou, deputy Foreign Minister Yiannis Amanatidis along with Cypriot Agriculture and Environment Minister Costas Kadis and the deputy Cyprus government spokesman Klelia Vassiliou will attend the congress.

Greece has five regions recognized as UNESCO global geoparks. They include the geopark on Lesvos, the geoparks of Psiloritis and Sitia on Crete, the geopark of Chelmos-Vouraikos in the Peloponnese and the geopark of Vikos-Aoos in Epirus. Cyprus has the geopark of Troodos.

[ANA-MPA]