Figure 6 – Civil society participation • Human rights NGOs, including - Trade unions - Relevant professional associations - Jurists - Women - Children and youth - Representative members of vulnerable groups • NGOs dealing with economic, social and cultural rights and community-based organizations • National human rights institutions • Educators, representatives of academic and research institutions, and human rights experts • Representatives of the private business sector • Representatives of philanthropic and other private funding organizations • The media • The general public In practical terms, the scope of civil society is very broad. In human rights work, human rights NGOs appropriately play a leading role and can be expected to be centrally involved in the planning and implementation of national action plans. But since a national action plan seeks to promote progress in such a wide range of activities, those guiding the process should make every effort to extend the consultation process well beyond actors who are traditionally seen as comprising the “human rights community”. This applies in particular to countries that are large and/or geographically or ethnically complex. The organizations brought within the consultation network will thus vary in size, resources, focus and geographical spread. In many contexts it will be more appropriate to talk about “non-State actors” than “non-governmental organizations” in order to cover the range of interests that should be involved in the national action plan. With some differences from country to country, the following civil society sectors should participate in the development and implementation of a national action plan. 6.3 Human rights NGOs Many countries have one or more human rights NGO “umbrella” bodies that are responsible for representing constituent NGOs and for coordinating action and disseminating information. Government should view these NGO bodies as key partners in planning and implementing the national action plan. By working with such coordinating bodies, governments will find that the process of consultation with civil society can be handled more effectively. From the broader NGO point of view, it is probably preferable for them to concentrate their activities under the plan through representative action rather than allowing their efforts to be dissipated through diverse and ad hoc mechanisms. In addition, a formal role for NGO coordinating bodies will help dissipate any perception that the government is not taking the consultations seriously or that it is manipulating the process. 52