India and France-led International Solar Alliance (ISA) on Wednesday became a legal entity after 19 countries ratified this treaty-based international Government organisation. Besides, 46 countries have signed the statute for the ISA which is an alliance of 121 countries.
“In terms of its Framework Agreement, with ratification by Guinea as the 15th country on 6th November 2017, the ISA will become a treaty-based international inter-governmental organisation on 6th December 2017,” Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said in a statement.
Apart from India and France, Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, Cuba, Fiji, Guinea, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Nauru, Niger, Peru, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, and Tuvalu are the other countries that have ratified the ISA.
This will be the first international Government organisation whose headquarters will be based in India. The ISA is an Indian initiative, jointly launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then President of France Francois Hollande on November 30, 2015, in Paris, on the sidelines of COP-21, the United Nations Climate Conference. “The alliance aims at addressing obstacles to deployment at scale of solar energy through better harmonisation and aggregation of demand from solar rich countries lying fully or partially between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn,” the Ministry said.
In a statement, Australia said its expertise in solar technologies and research will be shared globally with the formal creation of the ISA today. “led by India and France, members of the ISA will deepen cooperation on solar research, reduce technology costs and harmonise international standards... Australia is a world leader in the sector, with significant expertise in remote electrification and vital supporting technologies such as batteries and pumped hydro storage. Around 17 per cent of Australian households have rooftop solar panels - the highest per capita rate in the world. Joining the Alliance also supports the Australian Government’s commitment to clean energy cooperation and meeting our Paris Agreement emissions targets,” Foreign Minister of Australia, Julie Bishop said in a statement.