Members of the Global Geoparks Network (GGN)

The global geopark initiative began in 2001. In 2004, 17 European and 8 Chinese geoparks came together at UNESCO headquarters in Paris to form the Global Geoparks Network (GGN), in which national geological heritage groups from different countries agreed to contribute and benefit from their membership in a global network of exchange and cooperation. By 2017, the GGN had grown to include 125 sites in 35 countries. During the 38th session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 2015, the 195 member states of UNESCO ratified the creation of a new label, the UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp). UNESCO supports member states’ efforts to establish UGGps around the world, especially in developing areas without a geopark, in close collaboration with the GGN. The GGN, in which membership is obligatory for UGGps, is a legally constituted not-for-profit organisation with an annual membership fee. It is a dynamic global network in which the members are committed to work together, exchange best practises, and...