Minister Ghising to attend ISA meeting in India

Minister for Energy and Water Resources Kumlamn Ghising is scheduled to visit to India to participate in the 8th meeting of International Solar Alliance (ISA). The visit proposal has been endorsed by the meeting of Council of Ministers the other day. This will be the first visit to India of a minister of the newly-formed government of PM Sushila Karki. His participation in the meeting symbolizes Nepal’s deep engagement in significant renewable energy initiatives.

Minister Ghising is one of the influential ministers in the Council of Ministers led by Prime Minister Sushila Karki, who ascended to leadership on September 12 replacing he predecessor, K. P. Sharma Oli, after widespread protests led by Gen Z activists. The demonstrations focused on combating corruption and opposing restrictions on social media.

Ghising’s visit is set for October 27 to 30 in Delhi. Alongside this Finance Minister Rameshwar Khanal will head to the US for high-level meetings with the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund from October 13 to 18.

The Council of Ministers has also approved Finance Minister Rameshwar Khanal’s visit to the US to attend the joint meeting of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund from October 13 to 18. The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an alliance of more than 120 signatory countries, most being sunshine countries, which lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

The primary objective of the alliance is to work for the efficient consumption of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. This initiative was first proposed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a speech in November 2015 at Wimbley Stadium in which he referred to sunshine countries as Suryaputra (“Sons of the Sun”). The alliance is a treaty-based inter-governmental organisation. Countries that do not fall within the Tropics can join the alliance and enjoy all benefits as other members, with the exception of voting rights.

The ISA is headquartered in Haryana, India.

Nepal officially became the 101st full member of the ISA on September 9, 2024, after depositing its Instrument of Ratification in New Delhi. This move signifies Nepal’s commitment to advancing renewable energy and combating climate change through solar power adoption. The ISA is a collaborative initiative between India and France, launched in 2015 to promote solar energy solutions worldwide.