Sri Lanka - International cooperation

The government of Sri Lanka is opposed to all military defense alliances but actively participates in other forms of international cooperation. On 14 December 1955, Ceylon was admitted to membership in the UN. Sri Lanka is a member of ESCAP and all the nonregional specialized agencies, the Asian Development Bank, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Colombo Plan, the WTO, and G-77, among other intergovernmental organizations. It also signed the Law of the Sea treaty. Sri Lanka is a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which promotes economic and social development for its South Asian member states.