Ethiopia and UNESCO Collaborate to Boost Geotourism and Sustainable Development in Eastern Africa

Addis Ababa: The Ministry of Tourism has united hands with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to support geotourism and sustainable development in Eastern Africa. According to Ethiopian News Agency, the Ministry of Tourism and UNESCO co-hosted a workshop in Addis Ababa entitled "The Role of UNESCO Global Geoparks and Geotourism for Sustainable Development." The forum brought together senior-level attendees, including Selamawit Kassa, Minister of Tourism; Rita Bissonnette, Head of the UNESCO Liaison Office to the African Union, the Economic Commission for Africa, and Ethiopia; senior UNESCO personnel; regional representatives; and tourism, cultural, and administrative experts from across Eastern Africa. Minister Selamawit emphasized Ethiopia's cultural and natural heritage, its ancient history, various traditions, and landscape variation, anticipating collaboration with UNESCO towards the development of the region's geotourism potential. Ethiopia currently boasts 1 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, six entries on the Intangible Cultural Heritage List, and five biosphere reserves, the minister added. She noted that the geographic diversity of Ethiopia, from Simien Mountains National Park to the Dallol Depression, offers experiences for tourists, scientists, and adventurers. Selamawit highlighted Ethiopia's status as the "Cradle of Humankind," emphasizing the country's global significance in paleoanthropology, where sites have yielded important fossil discoveries, providing invaluable data on human evolution. According to Selamawit, several sites in Ethiopia have high potential to be designated as UNESCO Global Geoparks, a project which would boost tourism, energize local economies, and provide employment opportunities. The government's new tourism policy focuses on geoheritage protection and geotourism promotion as key pillars for sustainable development, she stressed. Eastern Africa, with its geological heritage, from the Great Rift Valley to ancient fossil sites, has v ast geotourism potential. However, its condition of geoheritage conservation and geotourism development reflects trends in broader challenges confronting Africa's tourism sector, Selamawit added. Rita Bissonnette welcomed the delegates to Addis Ababa, highlighting the importance of the workshop in promoting UNESCO Global Geoparks and geotourism to enhance sustainable development for the region. UNESCO Global Geoparks are more than nature reserves; they are living laboratories and innovation hubs where nature, culture, science, and community intersect, telling the story of our world and allowing local communities to build robust, inclusive economies on heritage, education, and sustainability. There are 229 UNESCO Global Geoparks in 50 countries, with only two in Africa: M'Goun in Morocco and Ngorongoro-Lengai in Tanzania, Bissonnette informed the participants. Despite the lack of presence, Africa's landscapes, from fossil-filled basins to working volcanoes, are among the most spectacular worldwide, she noted . UNESCO underscored that the establishment of geoparks in Eastern Africa can provide an impetus for job creation, enhance local business, protect key geological and ecological areas, enhance sensitization of climate change and geohistorical heritage, and promote local cultures and identities.