The view of the meeting

Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Tran Hong Minh expressed his pleasure to welcome the UNESCO delegation to the APGN-8 Symposium. The working visit of the delegation is extremely important for Cao Bang province and also strengthens solidarity and friendship, and deepens the cooperative relationship between Vietnam and UNESCO, said the Provincial Party Secretary.

Cao Bang is the second locality in Vietnam to receive the title of Global Geopark recognized by the UNESCO Council in April 2018. Located in North of Vietnam and 300 km from Hanoi capital, Non Nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Global Geopark (UGGp) is a rare land where visitors can explore over 500 million years of Earth's history. Non Nuoc Cao Bang UGGp is endowed with many beautiful, attractive and famous landscapes. It is also a land with rich tangible cultural resources including a system of heritages and relics, many of which are recognized as special national relics, national relics, provincial relics and national treasures. The values of geology, biodiversity, history and natural landscape, and intangible cultural heritage have created a special and unique Non Nuoc Cao Bang UGGp.

Through the period of construction and development of the geopark from 2015 - 2024, the province's tourism industry has grown quite rapidly and made a leap from implementing the UGGp model. In the coming time, Cao Bang province will certainly continue to develop Non Nuoc Cao Bang UGGp according to UNESCO's criteria; promote propaganda and education activities about UGGp for the community; expand the UGGp partner network; preserve heritage associated with tourism development; support vulnerable people in the community to ensure that all people in the community benefit from the results of socio-economic development.

The Provincial Party Secretary expressed his wish that UNESCO continue to support Vietnam in general and Cao Bang in particular in preserving and promoting the value of UGGp to serve the local sustainable socio-economic development.

Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Tran Hong Minh receives Assistant Director General of UNESCO for Natural Sciences Lidia Brito

Assistant Director General of UNESCO for Natural Sciences Lidia Brito thanked Provincial Party Secretary Tran Hong Minh for the warm and hospitable welcome. She also expressed her sympathy for the difficulties and losses caused by the last typhoon to Vietnam in general and to Cao Bang province in particular. 

Lidia Brito expressed her appreciation for the efforts of the Vietnam National Committee for UNESCO and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for her presence in Cao Bang for activities within the framework of the APGN-8 symposium even though Vietnam in general and Cao Bang province in particular is in a difficult period due to natural disasters. She affirmed her desire to strengthen cooperation between UNESCO and Vietnam and recognized geoparks. She commented that Non nuoc Cao Bang UGGp has developed very strongly in applying UNESCO's experience to local socio-economic development to improve people's lives.

On this occasion, the Assistant Director General of UNESCO congratulated Vietnam and the Vietnam Geopark Network on having one new member. Earlier, Lang Son Global Geopark was just approved by the UNESCO Council on September 11. Non nuoc Cao Bang UGGp is a good model for Lang Son Geopark to learn in the process of building and promoting the brand and values of the global geopark.

Provincial Party Secretary Tran Hong Minh presents a souvenir to Assistant Director General of UNESCO for Natural Sciences Lidia Brito

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc highly appreciated Cao Bang province's thoughtful preparations for organizing the APGN-8 Symposium despite difficult conditions. On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnam National Committee for UNESCO, he expressed his condolences about the loss of life and property that Cao Bang was suffering due to natural disasters. He thanked Assistant Director General Lidia Brito for making great efforts to come to Cao Bang for the APGN-8. The Deputy Minister said Non nuoc Cao Bang UGGp is a model of conservation and preservation of natural values along with serving socio-economic development.

Deputy Minister Ngoc expressed his thanks to UNESCO for supporting Lang Son to be recognized as UGGp. He acknowledged and appreciated UNESCO Vietnam Office in Hanoi for helping to devise strategies to preserve global geoparks and biosphere areas in the current global climate change conditions. The APGN-8 Symposium is a big event not only for Vietnam's global geopark network but also for regional and international countries. He affirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnam National Committee for UNESCO always accompany and support Cao Bang province in particular and other localities in general on the journey of preserving and promoting the value of titles recognized by UNESCO.