Call for hosts of the 8th International Conference on UNESCO Global Geoparks in 2018
During the UNESCO supported 7th International Conference on Global Geoparks in the English Riviera Global Geopark, United Kingdom, 27-30 September 2016 a decision will be made on the organization and venue of the 8th International Conference on Global Geoparks, due to be held in September 2018. If your organization or country is interested in hosting the 2018 Conference, you are kindly invited to submit a well-developed technical proposal outlining your offer. This bid is addressed to countries and regions which already have Global Geoparks who, and whose active contribution will be essential for the success of the event. Some important points: Technical
- The conference and the preparations need to be financed by the organizers who, if necessary, should seek private and public funding. Your financial plan should form part of your bid and should be clear and based on feasible plans.
- The conference has to be organized by an efficient and experienced team, including communication, tourism, administration, Global Geopark specialists and geoscientists.
- Global Geopark Network members (in the country and within the region) should actively participate and provide their expertise and advice. The conference is the most important event for members to meet and exchange experience.
- The venue of the meeting should be big enough for at least 400-500 participants and easily accessible for international participants.
- UNESCO, for the moment, is only able to provide intellectual sponsorship.
- Costs of hosting the meetings of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council and Bureau should be included (this includes covering all costs for members of the Council and Bureau).
Organization
- The past conferences in Beijing 2004 (China), Belfast 2006 (Northern Ireland), Osnabrűck 2008 (Germany), Langkawi 2010 (Malaysia), Unzen 2012 (Japan), and St. John 2014 (Canada) had strong local, governmental and ministerial support and high media coverage. The organization team is advised to include governmental entities as well as a broad spectrum of other groups like Tourism Boards, Councils of towns, counties, regions, Geological Survey, etc.
- It is a prerequisite that the country where the conference is proposed to be held is actively involved in the Global Geoparks Network and already has member(s) in the Network.
Content
- Conference themes have to be closely related to the core topics of the Global Geoparks Network.
- Each organizer will put the focus on specific themes of their interest which are not preliminarily fixed, but will be discussed with UNESCO and the Global Geoparks Network during the preparation phase in more detail. The above list is not extensive and aims only to provide some first guidance. Further, please note that we strive to rotate the hosting of the International Conference to different regions of the world.
Please ensure that your full bid is submitted by end of July 2016 to: E-mail: m.patzak(at)unesco.org Global Geoparks Coordination Secretariat Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences UNESCO 7 place de Fontenoy 75352 Paris 07 SP France Related links: