President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, on Tuesday, sought Parliament's approval for the ratification of the amendments to the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework Agreement.
The President made the decision at a Cabinet meeting held at the President's Office upon recommendation from the Cabinet, following deliberations on a paper submitted by the Ministry of Environment
The amendments to ISA Framework Agreement opens up ISA membership to all countries that are members of the United Nations. Previously, ISA membership was limited to solar resource-rich UN member states located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
Maldives signed and ratified the initial ISA Framework Agreement in April 2019.
The ISA is an Indian initiative launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France on November 30, 2015, in Paris, France, on the sidelines of the COP-21.
The overarching objective of the ISA is to collectively address key common challenges to the scaling up of solar energy in ISA member countries. The treaty-based international alliance works towards efficient exploitation of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
In order to meet the energy demands of its member countries, the alliance has pledged to mobilise over US$1,000 billion into solar power and generate over 1,000GW of solar energy capacity by 2030.
The alliance is now perceived as key to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and objectives of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.