A day after US President Donald Trump withdrew the US from 66 international organisations including UN bodies and the International Solar Alliance (ISA) led by India and France, saying these institutions were “redundant” and “contrary” to his country’s interests, Delhi on Friday said it stands for “multilateralism” and believes that “global issues need consultative and collaborative action by all countries”.
Responding to questions, Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “We have seen the announcement made by the US to withdraw from various international organisations and bodies of the United Nations.”
“Since its inception, the International Solar Alliance has made significant progress in advancing its mandate to promote solar energy deployment and cooperation among its 125 member countries. We will continue to advance its goals,” he said. “India stands for multilateralism and believes that global issues need consultative and collaborative action by all countries,” the spokesperson said.
In Delhi’s assessment, the direct impact of Trump’s decision to withdraw from international organisations will be on the funding and leadership of these groupings. It will likely cast a shadow on the leadership vacuum in these organisations, and China is expected to step in given its leverage, resources and influence in terms of capital and capacity. In Delhi, officials said Beijing will find all these groupings “ripe for picking”. India, officials said, will have to talk to like-minded partners in these groupings to protect and safeguard the rules.
The impact of the US exiting ISA, the India-headquartered initiative, is going to have an adverse financial impact and loss of expertise and influence. It signals loss of potential investment and financial contributions, which were aimed at mobilising over $1 trillion for solar projects by 2030. For Delhi, it is a diplomatic setback, although the ISA has diversified its membership and funding sources since inception.
