Dhanuka Peiris

THE COLOMBO PLAN The history of the Colombo Plan for Cooperative Economic and Social Development in Asia and the Pacific, is one of the oldest regional inter-governmental organizations dates far back as 1950, when the idea was first conceived to enhance economic and social development of the countries of the region. The Colombo Plan was established on 1 July 1951 by Australia, Canada, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom and currently has expanded to 28 member countries including non-Commonwealth countries and countries belonging to regional groupings such as ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) and SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation). The Colombo Plan is a partnership concept of self-help and mutual-help in development aimed at socio-economic progress of its member countries. The objectives of the Colombo Plan to promote interest in and support for the economic and social development of Asia and the Pacific; to promote technical cooperation and assist in the sharing and transfer of technology among member countries; to keep under review relevant information on technical cooperation between the member governments, multilateral and other agencies with a view to accelerate development through cooperative effort; to facilitate the transfer and sharing of the developmental experiences among member countries within the region with an emphasis on the concept of South-south cooperation. ‍ The Organizational Structure of the Colombo Plan The Consultative Committee, comprises all member governments and is the highest review and policy-making body of the Colombo Plan. Its biennial meetings (CCM) provide a forum for the exchange of views on current development problems faced by the member countries and review the work of the Colombo Plan in terms of economic and social development within the region. The Colombo Plan Council, comprises heads of diplomatic missions of member governments who are resident in Colombo,