On behalf of co-founder France and Co-sponsors on Agenda item 176 for granting Observer Status for the International Solar Alliance

[15 October 2021]

Statement by Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti

Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations

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Thank you Madam Chair,

         Mr President, It is my honour to introduce the draft resolution under the Agenda item 176 for granting Observer Status for the International Solar Alliance on behalf of India and France and the co-sponsors, including Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Chile, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Iceland , Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kiribati, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago,Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Vanuatu and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).

2. India and France jointly launched the International Solar Alliance (ISA) initiative in 2015 at the 21^st Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) held in Paris, France.

3. The Paris Declaration on the launch of International Solar Alliance expounded the shared vision of bringing clean, affordable, and renewable energy within reach of all. ISA is dedicated to contributing to the successful outcome of the United Nations process on sustainable development and the attainment of internationally agreed development goals.

4. The International Solar Alliance was opened for signature as an international treaty-based organization in November 2016.  After the Framework Agreement of the Alliance was signed and ratified by the required number of countries, the agreement entered into force on 6 December 2017.  Alliance of solar-resource rich countries with its membership was open to those 121 UN Member states that lie fully or partially between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. This was further amended at the First Assembly of the ISA, to expand the scope of ISA membership to all UN Member states.

5. Since its establishment, International Solar Alliance has strived to achieve its objectives by initiating thematic programmes dedicated to the deployment of cross-cutting solar energy applications across multiple sectors including, but not limited to, agriculture, health, and electricity. ISA has played an important role internationally in supporting the implementation of United Nations Framework Conventions on Climate Change and the global climate agenda in general.

6. The participation in major international meetings involving these issues is often critical for ISA to carry out its work and mandate. In addition, ISA has wide resources and the expertise to make a significant contribution to all such meetings, dialogues and decisions, by helping to shape the global policy dialogue.

7. The Framework Agreement of International Solar Alliance explicitly designates the United Nations including its organs as Strategic Partners of the ISA. Observer status will greatly enhance the Alliance’s ability to achieve its goals. ISA will be able to follow closely the deliberations in the General Assembly, cooperate with the United Nations organs, agencies and programmes in implementation of its programmes and activities and benefit from the United Nations network of field offices, its experience in programme cooperation with Governments and its wide resources in the development process.

8. Granting the International Solar Alliance observer status in the General Assembly would enable the Organisation to provide targeted inputs to current and future United Nations processes, based on grass-root level experiences from its country programmes, its research and public-private cooperation activities and its global knowledge-sharing activities. ISA is also taking a big step towards addressing some of the questions like “technological transfer”, “storage of solar energy” and even financial assistance to member countries, along with project layout and project planning.

9. The International Solar Alliance through its efforts to bring about just and equitable energy solutions through the deployment of solar energy is expected to usher in a new era of green energy diplomacy.

10. The granting of Observer Status to International Solar Alliance in the General Assembly would help provide for a regular and well-defined cooperation between the Alliance and the United Nations that would benefit global energy growth and development.

11. We seek your support for the draft resolution.

Thank you.

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