Sunday Sep 08, 2024
Sunday Sep 08, 2024
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The Colombo Plan Secretary-General Dr. Benjamin P. Reyes
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1 July 2024 marked the 73rd anniversary of The Colombo Plan and was commemorated on 4 July 2024 with great enthusiasm at the Sheraton Hotel, Colombo.
The Colombo Plan
The Colombo Plan for Cooperative Economic and Social Development in Asia and the Pacific, instituted in 1951 at the Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo, is a regional intergovernmental organisation consisting of 28 member countries operating on the partnership concept of self-help and mutual help to enhance human capital development and south-south cooperation. It is the only major international secretariat based out of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The 73rd event also marked the launch of the Training of Trainers (ToT) on Dignified Menstruation. This five-day training, a collaboration between The Colombo Plan and the Global South Coalition for Dignified Menstruation (GSCDM) was conducted with the objective of exploring approaches to dismantling menstrual discrimination and enhancing the capacity of The Colombo Plan’s member countries to address the same. 23 individuals from 13 countries, including Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, US, UK, Sweden, South Korea, Sudan, Rwanda, France, Switzerland, the Philippines, and the Netherlands participated in the ToT, and also graced the anniversary celebrations of the Colombo Plan.
In his opening remarks at the anniversary celebrations, The Colombo Plan Secretary-General Dr. Benjamin P. Reyes, addressing distinguished guests present including the Council President, Council Members, representatives of diplomatic missions, and international organisations, stated, “As you may have noticed, we changed the program of our anniversary from the usual diplomatic activities, to highlight a particular concern that has recently caught our attention which should concern all of us, our Council Members, friends and supporters.
If you recall, last year during our 72nd anniversary, we highlighted the 50th year anniversary of our Drug Advisory Programme. This year, as we enjoy our 73rd year of cooperation and mutual support, we want everyone to be aware of a particular concern that should not even exist during this day and age.
The 73rd anniversary highlights the activity that took place from 1-5 July 2024 at the Granbell Hotel, Colombo. We have been working on this for over a year now, with our good friend H.E. Bashu Dev Mishra, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Nepal to Sri Lanka. Excellency Ambassador Mishra, this is as much your accomplishment as it is The Colombo Plan’s.
The activity I’m referring to is the Training of Trainers on Dignified Menstruation Advocacy, with the participation of 26 participants from 13 countries. This initiative falls under the purview of our Gender Affairs Programme in cooperation with the Global South Coalition for Dignified Menstruation.
But let me tell you, when I first learned about this initiative, I was truly appalled to learn that such disrespect and violation of women’s rights is still happening in so many cultures in various parts of the world, causing morbidities and even deaths. I’m talking about the myths and stigma being perpetuated surrounding a purely normal physiological cycle women experience every month—the female menstrual cycle or monthly period. The concerns I want to highlight are not limited to ‘period poverty’, which is defined by the United Nations as the lack of access to period products and the limited available options for privacy—in other words, the lack of access to sanitary products or cleanly and private restrooms and safe spaces.
Inherent beliefs and stigma
The issue goes beyond that. I’m referring to the inherent beliefs and stigma in some cultures that women on their periods are deemed unclean and unfit to mingle in society for few days every month. While this might seem trivial in progressive societies; myths, misconceptions, and misinformation about periods feed into stigma which can be hugely damaging for many girls, women, and people who menstruate around the world.
In part, this stigma exacerbates certain cultural beliefs about menstruation. Rather than simply being acknowledged as a natural bodily function, it is considered rude or embarrassing to even discuss periods in some communities around the world. While referring to monthly periods using euphemisms, such as “strawberry week” in Austria, “I’m with Chico” in Brazil, and “Granny’s stuck in traffic” in South Africa, may seem harmless, they reinforce the idea that periods are shameful and something to talk about in “codes”.
This often leads to women and girls feeling confined to their homes, being excluded from public spaces, or considered to be bad luck or harmful to others for about a week every month.
Due to the conversation around menstruation being suppressed, and these myths continuing, this period stigma has had a huge impact on the lives of these girls. Among many other concerns, a good example is how a girl’s education is affected. For instance across Africa, it is estimated that one in 10 girls would miss school when they have their periods, and could miss approximately 10%-20% of school days—factors which can lead to them dropping out altogether. This puts them at a greater risk of child marriage, and getting pregnant at a younger age, which comes with heightened health risks.
Not receiving full education and being forced into early marriages also inevitably usually lead to a reduced capacity to access employment and contribute to income generation, a terrible consequence which only serves to hold back women’s life chances.
We all have mothers, most would have sisters, and other females in our lives. We should be grateful if this stigma does not cause problems in our respective realities. But having known such concerns exist, how can we not act? We can endeavour to do what we can in our own capacities to help those who suffer because of this issue.
This is why The Colombo Plan exists. Through the years, we have accumulated extensive experience and technical expertise, adapting our roles and functions to address changing social and developmental priorities; to serve as an effective platform for the dissemination of knowledge and improved interventions aligned with the international, regional and local policies and programs. We have committed member countries, donors and competent professional partners to make sure The Colombo Plan is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (Goal No. 5) of empowering women and eliminating root causes of discrimination that will curtail women’s rights in private and public spheres.
If The Colombo Plan can do something to address such issues, then we can be proud that our organisation is still doing its best to make the world a better place to live in, even after 73 years. And we commit to do this as we look forward to our hundred years.
When I first learned about this initiative, I was truly appalled to learn that such disrespect and violation of women’s rights is still happening in so many cultures in various parts of the world, causing morbidities and even deaths. I’m talking about the myths and stigma being perpetuated surrounding a purely normal physiological cycle women experience every month—the female menstrual cycle or monthly period. The concerns I want to highlight are not limited to ‘period poverty’