United States Exits India-Led International Solar Alliance, Signaling Sharp Shift in Global Solar and Climate Policy

The United States will formally withdraw from the International Solar Alliance (ISA) following a presidential memorandum issued by President Donald Trump directing an exit from select international organizations deemed contrary to U.S. national interests.

The decision is part of a broader policy move under a memorandum titled “Withdrawing the United States from International Organizations, Conventions, and Treaties that Are Contrary to the Interests of the United States”, addressed to the heads of executive departments and agencies. The directive follows a review conducted by the Secretary of State under Executive Order 14199, which assessed U.S. participation and funding across international bodies.

The International Solar Alliance, a Gurugram-based multilateral organization founded in 2015 by India and France, is explicitly listed among the non-United Nations organizations from which the U.S. will withdraw. The alliance focuses on promoting solar energy deployment globally, particularly in developing and emerging economies, with an ambition to mobilize $1 trillion in solar investments by 2030.

According to the memorandum, all U.S. executive departments and agencies have been instructed to take immediate steps to effectuate the withdrawal from listed organizations, including ending participation and support to the extent permitted by law. The White House stated that continued involvement in these bodies was determined to be inconsistent with U.S. interests after cabinet-level deliberations.

The United States had joined the International Solar Alliance in 2016, during the Obama administration, as part of broader U.S.–India cooperation on climate and clean energy. Between 2022 and 2025, Washington had provided financial support to ISA programs aimed at accelerating solar deployment in developing countries.

The memorandum authorizes the Secretary of State to issue further implementation guidance and directs that the decision be published in the Federal Register, marking the formal start of the U.S. withdrawal process from the International Solar Alliance.