The International Solar Alliance (ISA) Founding Conference in New Delhi, India, brought together delegations from 46 countries all over the globe including Heads of State and Government from 21 countries.
It was co-chaired by President of France Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.
The leaders of the conference pledged to:
Convey unequivocally our commitment to a clean and healthy world for this generation and beyond, rooted in sustainable lifestyles;
Recognise combating climate change as a common priority of humankind and the urgent need to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy services for an effective and appropriate response to climate change;
Express confidence that solar energy offers a clean, climate friendly and inexhaustible energy resource with an unprecedented opportunity to bring energy security to our peoples and improve their lives;
Recall that the idea of ISA was launched at the COP-21 in November 2015 in Paris, during which the Paris Agreement was also adopted, underlining the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as the primary inter-governmental forum for negotiating global response to combating climate change;
Reiterate our commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that calls for inter alia eradication of poverty in all its forms and dimensions and for transforming our world in which development and application of technology are climate-sensitive, respect biodiversity and are resilient;
Recognise the New Urban Agenda’s commitment to promoting environmental sustainability through promoting clean energy;
Note that renewable energy is an important pathway to a less carbon-intensive, more efficient and more sustainable energy system;
Emphasise that our endeavour has the potential to achieve sustainability by generating growth, enhancing skills, creating jobs, unleashing entrepreneurship, fostering innovation and increasing incomes;
Emphasise the need for sensitization and awareness building on the advantages and opportunities for promoting alternative energy at all levels as reflected in the ISA’s Framework Agreement;
Acknowledge the importance of access by women and youth to advance knowledge and solar energy technologies, especially in poorer communities, rural and remote areas;
Welcome the location of the ISA Secretariat in India;
And to this end, we the ISA Member States have agreed to increase our efforts:
To pursue an increased share of solar energy in the final energy consumption in our respective national energy mix, as a means of tackling global challenges of climate change and as a cost effective solution by supporting and implementing policy initiatives and participation of all relevant stakeholders, as applicable, in our respective States;
To facilitate affordable finance, access to appropriate, clean and environment friendly technology and undertake capacity building, including forging mutually beneficial partnerships with reputable international institutions and reputable financial institutions for the benefit of developing countries; To explore innovative financing mechanisms that can generate a sustainable market for the deployment of cost effective solar technologies, coupled with constructive policy initiatives to catalyse public and private investments to reduce the cost of solar projects in developing countries;
To facilitate joint ‘Research and Development’ efforts among member states and other stakeholders to develop appropriate business models, cost effective standards, innovative technical applications, equipments and storage designs to suit members’ climatic conditions and to realise clean and low cost operations;
To consider off-grid solar applications to cater to the energy requirements of poorer and/or remote communities;
To facilitate awareness and skills enhancement of local communities in the monitoring and maintenance of solar technologies in the member countries;
To leverage and emphasize the key characteristics and strengths of solar energy in our national energy plans and strategies and to assist through the implementation of solar strategies, To proceed with the designation of National Focal Points; and To strengthen ISA to become an action-oriented and member-driven multilateral organisation.
We, the leaders of the founding States of the ISA thank India for hosting the historic Founding Conference of the ISA in New Delhi on 11 March 2018.
The countries that have signed and ratified: Australia; Bangladesh; Comoros; Cote d’ Ivoire; Cuba; Dominica; Fiji; France; Gabon; Ghana; Guinea; Guyana; India; Madagascar; Malawi; Mali; Mauritius; Nauru; Niger; Papua New Guinea; Peru; Rwanda; Seychelles; Somalia; South Sudan; Sudan; Sri Lanka; Togo; Tuvalu; Uganda; UAE; and Venezuela (32).
Countries which have signed but not ratified ISA are: Algeria; Benin; Brazil; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Chad; Chile; Costa Rica; Democratic Republic of Congo; Djibouti; Dominican Republic; Egypt; Equatorial Guinea; Ethiopia; Gambia; Guinea- Bissau; Kiribati; Liberia; Mozambique; Nigeria; Papua New Guinea; Sao Tome and Principe; Senegal; Suriname; Tanzania; Tonga; Vanuatu; and Yemen (30).