Fifth General Assembly of the International Solar Alliance, New Delhi, India

This was done in his capacity as the President of the ISA. Ministers from 20 countries and delegates from across 110 Member and Signatory countries, and 18 prospective countries gathered in New Delhi from the 17th – 20th of October to attend the Fifth Assembly of the ISA.

In the opening remarks of the assembly, the ISA president, Honourable Singh said that “The past 2 years have also provided us multiple reminders that the global dependence on fossil fuels is unhealthy, not just for the environment, but also for the economy”.

He further remarked that ISA can assist member nations in formulating and implementing solar-ready policies and regulatory development of national energy landscapes and for engaging with public and private sector entities to leverage low-cost financing.

The Co-President, H.E. Ms Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, France’s Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships added that the “ISA has grown into a global provider of tangible solutions to enable universal access to affordable solar power”.

She stressed the crucial role of ISA and its member countries to build a broad coalition in favour of ambitious climate commitments. Other remarks were made by Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Ms Damilola Ogunbiyi and ISA Vice President, Fiji Minister of Infrastructure and Meteorology Services, Honourable Jone Usamate.

The Fifth ISA Assembly elected the Republic of India and the Republic of France as the President and the Co-President of the ISA Assembly respectively, for the next two years.

Other election were the New Vice-Presidents of the Standing Committee of the ISA Assembly – Somalia and Mali (Africa region), Denmark and Sweden (Europe & others), Tuvalu and Bangladesh (Asia Pacific), Venezuela and Republic of Dominica (Latin America) were also announced.

One of the key highlights of the meeting was the launched of ISA’s flagship World Solar Report. The report highlight the scope, evolutions in technology, market and investment scenario through appropriate indicators and methodologies. The meeting also provides updates on the STAR-C Initiative, Solar Grand Challenge and Resource Mobilization for the ISA.

The Tonga delegation was led by the Director of Energy, Mr Kakau Foliaki and the Tonga Honorary Consulate, Mr. Desh Sahae.

The delegation had the opportunity to have bilateral meeting with the Director General of the ISA. ISA expressed its continuous support and assistance to Tonga on more solar projects and electric mobility initiatives.

Potential technologies such as floating solar and solar desalination plant was also discussed.

To date, Tonga has benefitted from ISA through a series of capacity building training programmes on solar mini-grid offered by ISA’s Star-C and delivered by the Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (PCREEE).

The ISA has also provided a grant funding of US$50,000 for the implementation of two solar water pump projects for Sia’atoutai and Tatakamotonga. Another support through the ISA and the Government of Australia is a solar project for the Ha’afeva Health Centre.

A new Star-C technical centre to be hosted by the Tonga Institute of Science and Technology (TIST) and the recruitment of Star-C regional officer to be based at the PCREEE in Tonga is underway.

The International Solar Alliance is an international organisation with 110 Member and Signatory countries. ISA promotes the use of solar energy in the ISA member countries including Tonga to drive sustainable changes by enacting policies and regulations, sharing best practices, agreeing on common standards, and mobilising investments in the Agriculture, Health, Transport and Power Generation sectors.

- MEIDECC