diff --git a/include/onnxruntime/core/session/onnxruntime_cxx_api.h b/include/onnxruntime/core/session/onnxruntime_cxx_api.h
index d1b08f127fa2a..4632dfbb10167 100644
--- a/include/onnxruntime/core/session/onnxruntime_cxx_api.h
+++ b/include/onnxruntime/core/session/onnxruntime_cxx_api.h
@@ -79,22 +79,19 @@ struct Exception : std::exception {
   throw Ort::Exception(string, code)
 #endif
 
-// This is used internally by the C++ API. This class holds the global variable that points to the OrtApi,
-//  it's in a template so that we can define a global variable in a header and make
-// it transparent to the users of the API.
-template <typename T>
-struct Global {
-  static const OrtApi* api_;
-};
-
-// If macro ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT is defined, no static initialization will be performed. Instead, user must call InitApi() before using it.
-template <typename T>
 #ifdef ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT
-const OrtApi* Global<T>::api_{};
-inline void InitApi() noexcept { Global<void>::api_ = OrtGetApiBase()->GetApi(ORT_API_VERSION); }
-
-// Used by custom operator libraries that are not linked to onnxruntime. Sets the global API object, which is
-// required by C++ APIs.
+// If the macro ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT is defined, no static initialization
+// will be performed. Instead, users must call InitApi() before using the
+// ORT C++ APIs..
+//
+// InitApi() sets the global API object using the default initialization
+// logic. Users call this to initialize the ORT C++ APIs at a time that
+// makes sense in their program.
+inline void InitApi() noexcept;
+
+// InitApi(const OrtApi*) is used by custom operator libraries that are not
+// linked to onnxruntime. It sets the global API object, which is required
+// by the ORT C++ APIs.
 //
 // Example mycustomop.cc:
 //
@@ -107,22 +104,88 @@ inline void InitApi() noexcept { Global<void>::api_ = OrtGetApiBase()->GetApi(OR
 //   // ...
 // }
 //
-inline void InitApi(const OrtApi* api) noexcept { Global<void>::api_ = api; }
-#else
-#if defined(_MSC_VER) && !defined(__clang__)
-#pragma warning(push)
-// "Global initializer calls a non-constexpr function." Therefore you can't use ORT APIs in the other global initializers.
-// Please define ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT if it conerns you.
-#pragma warning(disable : 26426)
+inline void InitApi(const OrtApi* api) noexcept;
 #endif
-const OrtApi* Global<T>::api_ = OrtGetApiBase()->GetApi(ORT_API_VERSION);
-#if defined(_MSC_VER) && !defined(__clang__)
-#pragma warning(pop)
+
+namespace detail {
+// This is used internally by the C++ API. This class holds the global
+// variable that points to the OrtApi.
+struct Global {
+  static const OrtApi* Api(const OrtApi* newValue = nullptr) noexcept {
+    // This block-level static will be initialized once when this function is
+    // first executed, delaying the call to DefaultInit() until it is first needed.
+    //
+    // When ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT is not defined, DefaultInit() calls
+    // OrtGetApiBase()->GetApi(), which may result in a shared library being
+    // loaded.
+    //
+    // Using a block-level static instead of a class-level static helps
+    // avoid issues with static initialization order and dynamic libraries
+    // loading other dynamic libraries.
+    //
+    // This makes it safe to include the C++ API headers in a shared library
+    // that is delay loaded or delay loads its dependencies.
+    //
+    // This DOES NOT make it safe to _use_ arbitrary ORT C++ APIs when
+    // initializing static members, however.
+    static const OrtApi* api = DefaultInit();
+
+    if (newValue) {
+      api = newValue;
+    }
+
+    return api;
+  }
+
+ private:
+  // Has different definitions based on ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT
+  static const OrtApi* DefaultInit() noexcept;
+
+#ifdef ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT
+  // Public APIs to set the OrtApi* to use.
+  friend void ::Ort::InitApi() noexcept;
+  friend void ::Ort::InitApi(const OrtApi*) noexcept;
 #endif
+};
+}  // namespace detail
+
+#ifdef ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT
+
+// See comments on declaration above for usage.
+inline void InitApi(const OrtApi* api) noexcept { detail::Global::Api(api); }
+inline void InitApi() noexcept { InitApi(OrtGetApiBase()->GetApi(ORT_API_VERSION)); }
+
+#ifdef _MSC_VER
+// If you get a linker error about a mismatch here, you are trying to
+// link two compilation units that have different definitions for
+// ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT together. All compilation units must agree on the
+// definition of ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT.
+#pragma detect_mismatch("ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT", "enabled")
+#endif
+
+inline const OrtApi* detail::Global::DefaultInit() noexcept {
+  // When ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT is defined, there's no default init that can
+  // be done.
+  return nullptr;
+}
+
+#else  // ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT
+
+#ifdef _MSC_VER
+// If you get a linker error about a mismatch here, you are trying to link
+// two compilation units that have different definitions for
+// ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT together. All compilation units must agree on the
+// definition of ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT.
+#pragma detect_mismatch("ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT", "disabled")
 #endif
 
+inline const OrtApi* detail::Global::DefaultInit() noexcept {
+  return OrtGetApiBase()->GetApi(ORT_API_VERSION);
+}
+#endif  // ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT
+
 /// This returns a reference to the ORT C API.
-inline const OrtApi& GetApi() noexcept { return *Global<void>::api_; }
+inline const OrtApi& GetApi() noexcept { return *detail::Global::Api(); }
 
 /// <summary>
 /// This function returns the onnxruntime version string
diff --git a/js/node/src/inference_session_wrap.cc b/js/node/src/inference_session_wrap.cc
index 84ed3457a488b..8db91f792cb06 100644
--- a/js/node/src/inference_session_wrap.cc
+++ b/js/node/src/inference_session_wrap.cc
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ Napi::Object InferenceSessionWrap::Init(Napi::Env env, Napi::Object exports) {
   // create ONNX runtime env
   Ort::InitApi();
   ORT_NAPI_THROW_ERROR_IF(
-      Ort::Global<void>::api_ == nullptr, env,
+      &Ort::GetApi() == nullptr, env,
       "Failed to initialize ONNX Runtime API. It could happen when this nodejs binding was built with a higher version "
       "ONNX Runtime but now runs with a lower version ONNX Runtime DLL(or shared library).");
 
diff --git a/onnxruntime/core/providers/shared_library/provider_ort_api_init.cc b/onnxruntime/core/providers/shared_library/provider_ort_api_init.cc
index 9fa2551e53c23..f8d88b07f6dd5 100644
--- a/onnxruntime/core/providers/shared_library/provider_ort_api_init.cc
+++ b/onnxruntime/core/providers/shared_library/provider_ort_api_init.cc
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ std::once_flag init;
 }  // namespace
 
 void InitProviderOrtApi() {
-  std::call_once(init, []() { Ort::Global<void>::api_ = Provider_GetHost()->OrtGetApiBase()->GetApi(ORT_API_VERSION); });
+  std::call_once(init, []() { Ort::InitApi(Provider_GetHost()->OrtGetApiBase()->GetApi(ORT_API_VERSION)); });
 }
 
-}  // namespace onnxruntime
\ No newline at end of file
+}  // namespace onnxruntime
diff --git a/onnxruntime/core/providers/vitisai/imp/global_api.cc b/onnxruntime/core/providers/vitisai/imp/global_api.cc
index 5fc0b8900730b..580fbfbdba0b0 100644
--- a/onnxruntime/core/providers/vitisai/imp/global_api.cc
+++ b/onnxruntime/core/providers/vitisai/imp/global_api.cc
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ int vitisai_ep_set_ep_dynamic_options(
 struct MyCustomOpKernel : OpKernel {
   MyCustomOpKernel(const OpKernelInfo& info, const OrtCustomOp& op) : OpKernel(info), op_(op) {
     op_kernel_ =
-        op_.CreateKernel(&op_, Ort::Global<void>::api_, reinterpret_cast<const OrtKernelInfo*>(&info));
+        op_.CreateKernel(&op_, &Ort::GetApi(), reinterpret_cast<const OrtKernelInfo*>(&info));
   }
 
   ~MyCustomOpKernel() override { op_.KernelDestroy(op_kernel_); }
@@ -332,8 +332,8 @@ vaip_core::OrtApiForVaip* create_org_api_hook() {
   InitProviderOrtApi();
   set_version_info(the_global_api);
   the_global_api.host_ = Provider_GetHost();
-  assert(Ort::Global<void>::api_ != nullptr);
-  the_global_api.ort_api_ = Ort::Global<void>::api_;
+  assert(&Ort::GetApi() != nullptr);
+  the_global_api.ort_api_ = &Ort::GetApi();
   the_global_api.model_load = [](const std::string& filename) -> Model* {
     auto model_proto = ONNX_NAMESPACE::ModelProto::Create();
     auto& logger = logging::LoggingManager::DefaultLogger();
diff --git a/onnxruntime/test/autoep/library/ep_arena.h b/onnxruntime/test/autoep/library/ep_arena.h
index 641f3ce3f7b17..caa2c61db835f 100644
--- a/onnxruntime/test/autoep/library/ep_arena.h
+++ b/onnxruntime/test/autoep/library/ep_arena.h
@@ -21,7 +21,10 @@ limitations under the License.
 #include <mutex>
 #include <set>
 
+#define ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT
 #include "onnxruntime_cxx_api.h"
+#undef ORT_API_MANUAL_INIT
+
 #include "ep_allocator.h"
 #include "example_plugin_ep_utils.h"
 
diff --git a/onnxruntime/test/testdata/custom_op_library/custom_op_library.cc b/onnxruntime/test/testdata/custom_op_library/custom_op_library.cc
index 8ab58adbeeb74..bc22864304567 100644
--- a/onnxruntime/test/testdata/custom_op_library/custom_op_library.cc
+++ b/onnxruntime/test/testdata/custom_op_library/custom_op_library.cc
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ static void AddOrtCustomOpDomainToContainer(Ort::CustomOpDomain&& domain) {
 }
 
 OrtStatus* ORT_API_CALL RegisterCustomOps(OrtSessionOptions* options, const OrtApiBase* api) {
-  Ort::Global<void>::api_ = api->GetApi(ORT_API_VERSION);
+  Ort::InitApi(api->GetApi(ORT_API_VERSION));
   OrtStatus* result = nullptr;
 
   ORT_TRY {