Having been the first African Country to establish a successful Geopark, Morocco hosts the 10th International Conference on Global Geoparks, taking place in the country in 2023.
Apparently, this is the first time that such event gets hosted in Africa.
More than 1500 participants from over 50 countries will be attending the global event.
With the event scheduled for Marrakech in September 2023, Morocco has plenty of time for preparation, considering the fact that, the announcement was made in December 2021.
The Northwest African country was elected unanimously to host the Global Geopark Conference by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Council of the Global Geoparks Network (GGN).
The 10th International Conference on Global Geoparks runs between September 5 and September 10, 2023, in Marrakech.
Morocco was chosen among other applicant countries, such as France, Brazil, and Mexico.
The Arab and African region only has two Geoparks registered in the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network.
The first to be established on the African continent is the M’Goun Geopark of Morocco and Ngorongoro-Lengai Geopark in Northern Tanzania.
According to the official statement from the permanent delegation of Morocco to UNESCO, the anticipated conference will constitute ‘an opportunity to highlight the exceptional geological and tourist wealth of the M’Goun site.’
‘It will also allow the Kingdom to ‘internationalize its expertise in the field of protection and enhancement of natural and cultural richness.’
Along with Ngorongoro-Lengai in Tanzania, Morocco’s M’Goun form the only two Geoparks in Africa.
M’Goun Geopark was recognized during the 6th World Conference of Geoparks held in 2014 in Stonehammer Geopark in Canada.
On the other hand, Tanzania’s Geopark, mapped in the Northern Parts of the East African country, was endorsed in 2018.
Morocco has presided over the African Geoparks Network of the United Nations (AUGGN) since 2019 and has worked on the implementation of the objectives of the International Geosciences and Geoparks Program (IGGP).