UN General Assembly Grants Observer Status To International Solar Alliance

Observer Status

Observer status is a privilege granted by some organizations to non-members to give them an ability to participate in the organization's activities. Observer status is often granted by intergovernmental organizations (IGO) to non-member parties and international nongovernmental organizations (INGO) that have an interest in the IGO's activities. 

United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)

The United Nations General Assembly is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN.

Responsibilities of UNGA includes:

• preparing the UN budget
• appointing the non-permanent members to the Security Council
• appointing the Secretary-General of the United Nations
• receiving reports from other parts of the UN system
• making recommendations through resolutions.

It also establishes numerous subsidiary organs to advance or assist in its broad mandate.

Headquarters: New York, United States

President: Abdulla Shahid

Convened: 10 January 1946

India’s Permanent Ambassador to the UN, T S Tirumurti.

International Solar Alliance

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an alliance of 124 countries initiated by India, most of them being the sunshine countries, which lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. 

The primary objective of the alliance:

• to work for efficient consumption of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
• to endorse clean energy, sustainable environment, public transport and climate

Formation: 30 November 2015

Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana, India

Director General: Ajay Mathur