(XINHUA)

Zhang Xinsheng, initiator and Secretary General of the Eco-Forum Global—an unofficial, international high-end platform—was inaugurated as the president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Jeju, South Korea, on September 15. He is the first East Asian chairman in the 64-year history of the organization.

This year's IUCN World Conservation Congress was held in Jeju from September 6 to 15. More than 10,000 people from over 180 countries attended the conference to discuss 176 proposals.

Founded in 1948, the Gland, Switzerland-based IUCN is an organization aimed at protecting the natural environment. Currently it has more than 1,200 members, including over 200 government organizations and 900 non-governmental organizations from over 160 countries.

Zhang stated in his inauguration speech that he would work together with the members of the IUCN to make contributions to global environmental protection, the safety of the Earth and the development of humankind.