human rights issues. Parliamentary committees dealing with such issues are a useful mechanism for achieving this. 5.5 How the preparatory phase should be managed It will probably not be practicable to involve all the participants listed in section 5.3, especially on an ongoing basis. There will thus be a need for a representative body and a management structure, together with sufficient resources to enable these bodies to function effectively. The following steps are generally relevant to the preparatory phase of the plan. The manner in which these elements are put into practice, the steps relevant to each situation and the order in which action is taken will, of course, vary from one country to another: • Initial consultations within government and between government and civil society, possibly as a result of a recommendation by a human rights commission or an NGO forum; • A preliminary decision by the government to proceed with the plan; • Identification and appointment of the government body that is to act as the focal agency for action; • Communication to relevant agencies of government as well as semi-government organizations of the intention to develop the plan; • Communication to major interested groups, such as the judiciary, NGOs, and academic and educational institutions; • Development by the focal agency of draft principles relating to the initial stages of developing the plan. This should be done in close consultation with civil society and other agencies. The principles will be tentative and flexible and address in particular who should be involved in the process and the initial meetings necessary to set the process in motion; • If not already part of the process, specific endorsement and direction from the head of government and/or relevant ministers; • A public announcement, as part of an initial media strategy, of the intention to develop a national action plan; • Organization of an initial national consultative meeting or a series of meetings to obtain input from the various interested groups. The meeting or meetings will discuss the concept of the national action plan and fill in the details of the development process. An important issue at this stage is the structure and membership of the national coordinating committee (see below). Other issues for discussion at the initial national consultative meeting might include the scope of the plan, time frames, resources, media and education, and international cooperation. 44