In a major setback to the India-backed International Solar Alliance — a collaborative initiative between India and France aimed at uniting efforts to combat climate change by implementing solar energy solutions — the United States has withdrawn membership from the multilateral body.
The ISA is a multilateral organisation promoted by India aimed at strengthening the country’s position as the voice of the Global South.
India currently holds its presidency and France the co-presidency.
The move is part of the US move to pull out of international organisations, conventions, and treaties that the Trump administration calls “wasteful, ineffective, harmful” and are “contrary to its interests” and follows US’ takeover of Venezuela.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio described the organisations as “anti-American, useless, or wasteful”. “Today, President Trump announced the US is leaving 66 anti-American, useless, or wasteful international organizations. Review of additional international organizations remains ongoing. These withdrawals keep a key promise President Trump made to Americans – we will stop subsidizing globalist bureaucrats who act against our interests. The Trump Administration will always put America and Americans first,” he wrote on X
The Executive Order, which includes several United Nations Organisations, is said to be one of his most far-reaching steps in the
series that started with his second tenure in January 2025.Trump has been quite open about promoting fossil fuels, crude oil, natural gas etc and doing away with the climate-friendly transition like renewables. Over the years, he has repeatedly referred to climate change as a “scam,” “hoax,” or “con job”. Last year he also announced the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, sparking concern over its climate targets and milestones.
The ISA was also conceptualised on the sidelines of COP21 in Paris in 2015.
Established by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then President of France Francois Hollande on November 30, 2015, ISA’s objective is to scale up solar energy, reduce the cost of solar power generation through aggregation of demand for solar finance, technologies, innovation, research and development, and capacity building.
“Following a 2020 amendment to its Framework Agreement, all UN member states are now eligible to join the Alliance. Currently, 100+ countries are signatories, with 90+ countries having ratified to become full members. Its mission is to unlock $1 trillion in solar investments by 2030 while reducing technology and financing costs,” according to the ISA website.
Trump had on February 4, 2025, issued an Executive Order directing the Secretary of State, in consultation with the United States Representative to the United Nations, to conduct a review of all international intergovernmental organisations of which the US is a member and provides any type of funding or other support and determine which of these organisations, conventions, and treaties are “contrary” to its interests.