FERMANAGH’S world famous geopark has joined with its fellow UNESCO geoparks across Europe in calling for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.
The Cuilcagh Lakelands UNESCO Global Geopark, which was the first cross-border geopark in the world and was formerly called the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark, recently published the joint statement to its website calling for peace among nations.
The local geopark was joined by the three other cross-border geoparks in Hungary and Slovakia, Germany and Poland, and Austria in Slovenia, which make up Trans-National UNESCO Global Geoparks Forum, in making the call for peace.
“We, the members of the Trans-National UNESCO Global Geoparks Forum have successfully extended the hand of friendship across our national borders of our eight European countries,” it stated.
“Each of our countries has experienced the horror of war so it is important that we, as cross-border geoparks, bring together people from our different nations to promote mutual understanding and to create shared benefits for our communities.
“One of the functions of geoparks is to highlight the importance of geology to the life and environment of the earth. Geology and nature do not recognise political borders so we work closely with colleagues in many countries around the world, including Ukraine and Russia.
“It is not just rocks, not just geology that connects us. Friendship, respect and goodwill are what really connect us.”
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