On 27 June 2018, SCO Secretary-General Rashid Alimov and members of the Ambassadors Club of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) visited the Beijing headquarters of the Еlion Group, the leader in the restoration of desertified and otherwise degraded land in China.
Elion Chairman and President Wang Wenbiao explained to the visitors about the main spheres the company is operating in and plans for the future. In particular, he told them about an environmental governance model for the Kubuqi, China's seventh largest desert, the advanced biological and ecological techniques for comprehensive restoration of mountains, water bodies, forests, fields, meadows and grazing land, as well as other eco-projects that have been implemented in Beijing, Tianjin and other regions of China, plus ecoparks.
SCO Secretary-General Rashid Alimov pointed out that environmental protection and finding solutions to a whole range of various problems created by the disrupted environmental balance in the SCO region was among the organisation's priorities.
"The adoption of the SCO Concept for Cooperation in Environmental Protection at the SCO summit in Qingdao is a major step towards restoring biodiversity and creating conditions for improving the life of our people and maintaining the environmental balance in the SCO space," Rashid Alimov said. He added that practical cooperation as well as the exchange of views and experience between the leaders in this sphere was crucial for the preservation of the green world.
The event was attended by National Coordinator of China in the SCO Sun Lijie, Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Andrei Denisov (Russia) and Damba Gankhuyag (Mongolia), as well as representatives of the embassies of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The ambassadors accepted Mr Wang Wenbiao's invitation to hold an onsite meeting in the Kubuqi desert in Inner Mongolia, where they can take a closer look at China's achievements in fighting desertification.
Elion Resources Group (Elion) was established in 1988. Specialised UN bodies have recognised it as the leading company in China and one of the best in the world in the restoration of natural environment and desertification control. Elion focuses on environmental progress in various conservation areas, from deserts to cities, the restoration of ecosystems, green energy and green finance.
Over the past 30 years, the corporation devoted much time to creating the Kubuqi Model of managing desertification and land degradation, which has won repute in the country and elsewhere.
The Ambassadors Club of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is an informal platform aimed at finding new areas, forms and methods of multifaceted and multilateral cooperation within the SCO. The Club meets regularly to maintain and promote dialogue and cooperation among the SCO Family members.