19 March 2018: The International Solar Alliance (ISA) held its founding conference in New Delhi, India, where the organization signed joint declarations with various international organizations.

The ISA is a treaty-based international inter-governmental organization which aims to provide a platform for the the promotion of solar energy across the world. By 2030, the organization aims to mobilize over US$1 trillion of investment for the deployment of solar energy at affordable costs. One area of particular focus for ISA is the acceleration of deployment and reduction of solar costs in developing countries, where investment risks are seen as a significant barrier to the growth of solar.

During the founding conference, and immediately following it, ISA’s Interim Director-General Upendra Tripathy, signed joint declarations with the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

In their joint declaration, ISA and IEA agreed to share analysis and capacity-building programs, create and disseminate a joint policy manual, and work together to facilitate IEA Technology Collaboration Programmes. IRENA committed to collaborating with ISA on helping countries develop policies and regulations to enhance the deployment of solar energy by making IRENA’s project facilitation tools and platforms available to ISA, and by implementing various IRENA initiatives, such as the Clean Energy Corridors and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Lighthouses. UNIDO and ISA agreed to cooperate on raising awareness of the benefits of solar energy, and to jointly advise member countries on policies and practices to increase the deployment of solar energy.

The ISA Founding Conference was co-chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. [IEA Press Release] [Joint Declaration of ISA and IEA] [IRENA Press Release] [UNIDO Press Release] [ISA Website]