Why in news?

• Germany on 4th August, 2021 became the 5th country to sign International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement, after amendements to it became effective on 8th January this year, opening its door to all member states of the United Nations.

International Solar Alliance

• The International Solar Alliance (ISA) was launched by Indian Prime Minister, Narendra modi and former French president Francois Hollande in November 2015 at the 21st session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP-21) in Paris.
• The ISA is a coalition of solar resource-rich countries that lie either completely or partly between the tropic of Cancer and the tropic of Capricorn.

• The alliance was formed with an aim to promote solar energy in 121 member countries and to mobilise over $1 trillion of investment for the deployment of solar energy at affordable costs.
• Ninety-Eight countries have signed the ISA's Framework Agreement and of these 80 have ratified it.
• It is the first inter-government organisation headquartered in India, in Gurugram.

Membership opened to all countries

1. The European country signed the ISA framework agreement after an amendment to the Framework Agreement of the ISA became effective on January 8, 2021, opening its doors to all member states of the UN.

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2. The amendment allows all the member states of the United Nations to join the ISA grouping, including those lying beyond the tropics.

Important Fact

• Denmark was the first country to ratify International Solar Alliance framework agreement (ISAFA).