Colombo Plan to Expand Maritime Sector Activities

From left:  Colombo Plan Lead Consultant, Maritime Advisory Program Rohan Masakorala, Secretary General Dr. Benjamin Reyes and  Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Sri Lanka Khalid Hamoud

• Meets Saudi Arabian Ambassador to further cooperation in the maritime sector

The Colombo Plan (CP) for Cooperative Economic and Social Development in Asia and the Pacific is one of the oldest regional intergovernmental organizations dating as far back to 1950. 

The CP objectives are to promote interest and support for the economic and social development of Asia and the Pacific cooperation and assist in the sharing and transfer of technology among member countries. 

Additionally, CP aims 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 efforts. CP facilitates the transfer and sharing of developmental experiences among member countries within the region with an emphasis on the concept of South-South cooperation. 

The organisation has been actively engaging its Drug Advisory Program (DAP) in over eighty countries funded by the United States of America. In addition to the DAP, the Colombo Plan has other permanent programs: which are Capacity Building Program Gender Affairs Program (GAP) & Environment Program.

Expanding into Maritime industry

Recently the Government of the United States of America funded a three-year capacity building program for the Sri Lanka Ports Authority through the Colombo Plan. The USA, as a member country of CP has been taking a lead role in funding key projects of Colombo Plan and in the port sector of Sri Lanka.

Maritime will be a new area of focus for the Colombo Plan in the coming years as trade and shipping is critical for economic prosperity. Dr. Benjamin Reyes, the Secretary General of Colombo Plan, met with the Saudi Arabian Ambassador H.E. Khalid Hamoud Alkahtani to discuss further cooperation in the maritime sector as a member country of the Colombo Plan. 

The lead consultant to the CP Maritime Advisory Program Rohan Masakorala, joined the discussion where areas of infrastructure, capacity building and trade facilitation were the topics of concern. The Saudi Ambassador to Sri Lanka expressed optimism and conveyed his continuing support to future collaboration initiatives with CP, as a leading gulf state. 
(Source: Daily Mirror)