- the Colombo Plan was established in 1951 as an international mechanism to provide both capital and technical assistance for the economic and social advancement of the people of South and South East Asian with the participation of seven members countries which included India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom and Sri Lanka. Currently the organization consists of 27 countries. It is the only international organization located in Sri Lanka. Colombo Plan annually provides around 50 foreign training opportunities to the Government of Sri Lanka to develop knowledge and skills of the Public Sector and it envisages a gradual expansion to include new countries from Central Asia, Africa and Middle East, in the near future. The proposal made by H.E. the President, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance and Planning, to provide a block of State Land in the Colombo area for the Colombo Plan Secretariat, was approved by the Cabinet.