Vietnamese Former Ambassador Elected Colombo Plan’s Secretary General

It was said by Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs that on December 12^th, 2017, Former Vietnam's Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives – Phan Kieu Thu – was elected as the 7th Secretary General of the Plan for Economic Cooperation and Social Development in Asia and the Pacific region (Colombo plan).

The Colombo plan was initiated by the UK at the Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs in Colombo, Sri Lanka in January, 1950 and officially launched in 1951. The plan, whose purposes same as those of the second "Marshall plan" in Asia, has foundation members including Australia, New Zealand, India, the UK, and Canada.

During the 1950s, 60s and 70s, via 2 forms of support, i.e. grant provision and technical assistance, Western countries provided grants to development projects, and equipment, goods, tens of thousands of short- and long-term scholarships and experts to developing countries in the region.

Ms. Phan Kieu Thu – elected as the 7^th Secretary General of the Colombo Plan

on December, 12^th

Since the date of its participation in the Colombo Plan, Vietnam has sent nearly 400 officials to attend training courses within the Colombo Plan's cooperation programs, in the fields of drug prevention, public administration, reproductive health, and environmental protection.