UNESCO, in collaboration with the Ethiopian Ministry of Tourism, organized a high-level international workshop on May 12 and 13, 2025, in Addis Ababa to promote the development of UNESCO Global Geoparks and geotourism in East Africa.
The event brought together more than 100 participants from Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda, and marked a new step in UNESCO’s ongoing support for African countries within the framework of the International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme (IGGP).
The workshop was officially opened by H.E. Selamawit Kassa, Minister of Tourism of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, who emphasized Ethiopia’s rich geoheritage as a pillar of sustainable development and community empowerment.
Dr. Rita Bissoonauth, Director of the UNESCO Liaison Office in Ethiopia, to the AU and the ECA, stressed that Global Geoparks are much more than just protected areas: they are living laboratories and hubs of innovation where nature, culture, science and communities intersect in a powerful synergy.
