NEW YORK — President Donald Trump has ordered the United States to withdraw from the International Solar Alliance, a Gurugram-headquartered organization focused on promoting solar energy to address climate change, according to the White House.
The International Solar Alliance was among 66 international entities from which the U.S. withdrew under an executive order signed Wednesday. The administration said the organizations were operating “contrary to U.S. national interests.”
The move places the solar alliance among a broad group of United Nations and non-United Nations bodies with climate and environmental mandates that were targeted by the administration. Trump has repeatedly dismissed climate change as a “hoax” and has taken steps to scale back U.S. participation in international climate initiatives.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the withdrawals were driven in part by what he described as “climate orthodoxy” that undermines “our nation’s sovereignty, freedoms, and general prosperity.”
Founded in 2015 by India and France, the International Solar Alliance has 124 signatories, with about 100 full member countries. The organization aims to mobilize $1 trillion in investments for solar energy by 2030 and promote the adoption of related technologies, particularly in developing and emerging economies. The alliance is led by Director-General Ashish Khanna.
Between 2022 and 2025, the United States contributed $2.1 million to the alliance, according to a U.S. government database. The funding was designated to support the U.S.-India Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership through ISA programs intended to accelerate solar deployment in developing nations.
The International Solar Alliance was not the only climate-focused body affected by the order. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, under which the Paris Climate Agreement was negotiated, was among 31 UN-linked organizations targeted. Other UN entities dealing with water, oceans, energy, and forest conservation were also included.
In addition, the administration ordered withdrawals from 35 non-UN organizations, including nine focused on climate and environmental issues. Among them was the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was led by India’s Rajendra Pachauri when it won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
The United States had committed to joining the International Solar Alliance in 2016, following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then-President Barack Obama at the White House. The decision to exit marks a reversal of that commitment and adds to ongoing debate over the future of U.S. engagement in global climate initiatives. (Source: IANS)
