NE BUSINESS BUREAU
NEW DELHI, NOV 4
Union Minister of New & Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said on Monday that India has been re-elected as the President of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) for two years till 2026. Besides, France also retained the post of Vice-President of the global body promoting renewable energy in least developed countries.
The election of the president and the vice-president was held as part of the seventh session of the Assembly, the apex decision making body of the ISA, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, .
The Assembly elects the President and Co-President, with due regard to equitable geographical representation. The four regional groups of the ISA Members include Africa; Asia and the Pacific; Europe and Others; and Latin America and the Caribbean. Eight Vice Presidents of the Standing Committee, two from each of the four ISA geographical regions, are selected based on seniority in terms of submitting the instrument of ratification to the depositary on a rotation basis from the ISA Member Countries in the specific region.
The Republic of Ghana and the Republic of Seychelles will hold office as Vice Presidents for the Africa region; the Commonwealth of Australia and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka for Asia and the Pacific region; the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Italy for Europe and the Others region; Grenada and Republic of Suriname from the Latin America and the Caribbean region.
“India and France, along with member countries, will aim to raise our ambitions and promise to make this decade count as we usher in a fresh wave of energy, determined to bring the power of solar to improve counties around the world in a way the world has never witnessed before,” Joshi said in a media briefing.
The fresh elections to the post of the President and Vice-President gives both, India and France an opportunity to lead 120 countries again to build on the solid work that has already been done and more importantly leverage the gains made to now accelerate the mission towards a sustainable path, he emphasised.
While India was the sole contender for the post of President, the Co-Presidency was contested between France and Grenada, with the former emerging victorious.
Eight Vice-Presidents of the Standing Committee, two from each of the four ISA geographical regions, were also selected by the Assembly, Joshi said.
“ISA Member Countries have also selected the third Director General of the Alliance. Ashish Khanna is the Director General Designate and will assume office in March 2025 when the tenure of the incumbent Director General, Ajay Mathur, comes to a close,” the Minister added.
The seventh session of the ISA Assembly is currently deliberating on the ISA’s key initiatives, focusing on three critical issues: energy access, energy security, and energy transition. These discussions aim to address and find solutions to these pressing global concerns.
Joshi said the Assembly will also consider other substantial matters, such as work plans for the coming year and include updates on ISA’s priority areas of work and projects.
“An important topic of discussion will be the guidelines for the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme, which provides for 10 per cent to 35 per cent of the total solar project cost to be given as a grant for developing solar projects in LDCs and SIDS identified by the countries themselves, provided 90 per cent of the project cost is locked in,” he added.
Proposals from countries will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis until the annual budget provisions of ISA $1.5 million per year are available. The VGF can be used for solar projects.
The ISA Assembly will also consider a proposal for promotion of greater involvement of women in ISA’s initiatives, programs, and support activities, wherever feasible, across Member Countries, Joshi added.
