The International Solar Alliance (ISA) has issued an amendment to its framework agreement to enable members of the United Nations to join the grouping. These will extend to member states beyond the tropics. For achieving the universalisation of the ISA membership, ISA’s first General Assembly, held on October 3, 2018, had adopted the amendment to the framework agreement on its establishment to expand the scope of membership to all member states of the United Nations. Following necessary ratifications, approvals, acceptances which were obtained from the requisite number of ISA member countries as mandated by the framework agreement of the ISA, theamendment finally entered into force on July 15, 2020.
Till now, 87 countries have signed the Framework Agreement of the ISA and of these 67 have deposited their instruments of ratification.ISA initially jointly launched by the Indian prime minister and the French president in 2015, for countries located fully or partially between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.The objective of the ISA is to mobilise member countries, seek commitments from international organisations and mobilise private sector to support rural and decentralised applications, access to affordable finance, island and village solar mini-grids, rooftop installations, and solar e-mobility technologies.
Read more about ISA in an interview with ISA’s director general, Upendra Tripathy: https://renewablewatch.in/2019/08/10/interview-isas-upendra-tripathy/