Figure 7 – Consultative mechanisms • • • • • • • • • • National coordinating committee Sectoral working groups Meetings between government and civil society representatives Consultations between and within civil society organizations Informal personal and telecommunication contacts Public meetings, including in provincial areas Interactive web site Public hearings Provision for written submissions Use of talkback radio 7.2 Committees The first major step in the process is the establishment of the national coordinating committee (see section 5.6). The general composition of the committee has already been discussed but the number of civil society participants will depend on its size. To ensure adequate representation of the diverse interests of society in a successful plan, it would probably be desirable to have eight to ten such members in a committee of twenty. Efforts should be made to ensure that the committee’s rules of procedures and methods of work are conducive to a harmonious environment and productive outcomes. NGOs and other non-State actors with expertise in particular areas of social action will participate in sectoral working groups addressing specific themes of the plan, whether or not the organizations concerned are represented directly on the coordinating committee. The sectoral working groups will themselves play a key role in the consultation process. They will be an indispensable vehicle for extending the “reach” of the coordinating committee into specialist organizations and into all regions of the country and sectors of society. They will make it possible for the coordinating committee to draw on a wider range of expertise and will significantly enhance the quality of the plan. There should also be broader processes of consultation beyond those within the framework of the coordinating committee and sectoral working groups. These processes will include: • • • • Consultation among civil society organizations; Consultation between government and civil society organizations; Consultation within civil society organizations; Face-to-face consultation with members of the public. For example, an NGO that is represented on the coordinating committee might arrange meetings with partner NGOs and community-based organizations to discuss the plan. NGOs might take specific steps to canvass the views of their grassroots 57