UNESCO Proclaims the International Day of Caves and Karst: A Milestone in Global Recognition

The proclamation of 13 September as the International Day of Caves and Karst (IDCK) by the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand on 12 November 2025 represents a historic achievement for the international cave and karst community. The initiative, submitted by the Republic of Slovenia following the proposal of the International Union of Speleology (UIS), was developed through close cooperation with the Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO, the Republic of Slovenia Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, the Permanent Delegation of Slovenia to UNESCO, and the Karst Research Institute ZRC SAZU in Postojna.