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Slovak Committee for International Geoscience Programme (IGCP)

 

General information about IGCP may be found here:

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/earth-sciences/international-geoscience-programme/

 

National Committees:

National Committees for IGCP are non-profit organizations which represent IGCP in respective countries. The main role of a National Committee is to organize and to coordinate the agenda related to IGCP in its own country and also to maintain links between national geological institutions (or individuals) and the international scientific community, mainly the IGCP. The IGCP Secretariat is, for this purpose, in constant contact with the National Committees and, besides that, it annually organizes a meeting of the IGCP Scientific Board in which the chairmen of the National Committees for IGCP participate. 

It is also the role of the national Committee to:

  • Approve proposals of new IGCP projects before they are sent to the IGCP Secretariat itself.
  • Nominate candidates to the IGCP Scientific Board.
  • Encourage the participation of geoscientists of its own country in new IGCP projects and to enable them to participate in ongoing geoscience researches and so on.



Global Geoparks Network

The idea of Global Geoparks Network is being adopted by a growing number of UNESCO Member States. Geoparks are becoming popular mainly due to the fact that they combine important elements – conservation, sustainable development as well as public participation.

UNESCO started to be active in this area in 1999, when Geoparks were proposed as a separate UNESCO programme. However, in 2001, the Executive Board decided not to pursue the development of a UNESCO Geoparks programme and instead decided to support the ad hoc efforts of individual Member States, if appropriate.  

Nowadays UNESCO supports ad hoc national Geopark initiatives which are coordinated through a Global Network of National Geoparks, where national geological heritage initiatives benefit from their membership in a global network of exchange and cooperation. Currently, the Global Geoparks Network has 111 members in 32 countries. Slovakia is also among these 32 states. It has one geopark inscribed together with Hungary – the Novohrad – Nógrád Geopark. Besides that, in Slovakia there are 2 more Geoparks which, however, are not a part of the Global Geoparks Network – the Banská Štiavnica and the Banská Bystrica Geopark. Another Geopark – Geopark Sandberg-Pajštún – is under preparation. 

Geopark Novohrad – Nógrád (Slovakia – Hungary)

Geopark Novohrad – Nógrad lies at the border between Slovakia and Hungary. It was the first cross-border Geopark within the Global Geoparks Network of UNESCO.

Due to the fact that this Geopark has a transnational character, its name was formed by combining the Slovak and Hungarian name of the area where the Geoprak spreads. 

 

More information here:

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/earth-sciences/global-geoparks/members/hungaryslovakia/novohrad-nograd/