CONTENTS
1.
Introduction
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
A changing environment...................................................................................... 1
Institutional strengthening ................................................................................... 1
The value of national action plans ....................................................................... 2
What does this Handbook seek to do? ................................................................. 3
Who is this Handbook for? .................................................................................. 4
The structure of the Handbook............................................................................. 5
Part I: The Concept of a National Action Plan and Early Experiences
2.
Development of the concept of national human rights action plans
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
The 1993 World Conference on Human Rights .................................................. 7
What did the Conference say about national action plans? ................................. 7
Why were national action plans proposed? ......................................................... 8
Purposes and benefits of national plans ............................................................... 9
What has been done since Vienna?......................................................................11
National plans of action for human rights education ...........................................12
3.
More about national human rights action plans – general principles
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.8
3.9
3.10
3.11
A process as well as an outcome..........................................................................13
Commitment to universal human rights standards...............................................14
Implementing international human rights obligations .........................................15
Interdependence and indivisibility of human rights.............................................18
Action orientation ................................................................................................18
A public document...............................................................................................19
Monitoring and evaluation...................................................................................19
A continuing process............................................................................................20
A national undertaking.........................................................................................20
The international dimension ................................................................................21
Potential difficulties .............................................................................................21
4.
Eleven national action plans
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
Australia (1993) ...................................................................................................24
Malawi (1995)......................................................................................................26
Latvia (1995)........................................................................................................27
The Philippines (1996).........................................................................................28
iv