1.6 The structure of the Handbook The Handbook begins with a description of the origins of the concept of national action plans and their purpose and benefits and reviews progress on implementing the concept in various countries and at international meetings. It then highlights some of the general principles of national plans, outlines steps towards their implementation and notes some of the obstacles that have been identified. It then provides an overview of some of the national plans that have been developed to date. Moving on from these introductory sections, the Handbook outlines the preparatory phase of national planning, placing particular emphasis on the roles of the different agencies and organizations that will be involved. It gives special attention to the role of civil society. The Handbook next describes the development phase of the plan, in which the details are worked out and drafted. The range of issues that have to be addressed at this crucial stage are described. The Handbook then moves on to the implementation phase, beginning with its launch and giving particular attention to a media and dissemination strategy. It concludes with sections on monitoring and evaluation, including the desirability of a successor plan, on resources and on international activity. 5