Colombo, << kuh LUHM boh, >> Plan is an international organization that provides assistance for economic and social development to countries of Asia and the Pacific. The assistance includes training and instruction, scientific research in agriculture and industry, consultative services, and financial aid. The organization’s motto is Planning Prosperity Together.
The Colombo Plan has 27 member countries: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam. The Consultative Committee, which directs the program, has headquarters in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Member countries within the region plan their own development programs with the advice of the committee. Voluntary contributions from member countries, nonmember countries, and international regional organizations pay most of the costs of these programs.
The idea for the Colombo Plan originated at a meeting of the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers at Colombo in January 1950. The Consultative Committee held its first meeting in May 1950 and published the principles of the plan in November. The Colombo Plan began operating in July 1951.
