9. Content and structure of the plan 9.1 General issues Determining and expressing the content of the plan are probably the most important parts of the national action plan process. Other elements such as consultation and implementation are of course also important, but it is the content that embodies the government’s commitment to take action and that provides the basis for implementation. Moreover, the commitments described will constitute benchmarks by which the degree of success is measured. The plan should have a clear, systematic and logical structure. This will facilitate its acceptance and understanding by the general public, its incorporation in the planning of specific implementing agencies and the process of monitoring and evaluation. 9.2 Principles and objectives All countries share a common ultimate goal – broadly, “all human rights for all” – but the path to that goal, in practical terms, will be different for each country. Thus, different national action plans will contain common elements, in terms of broad principles and structure, but each will differ in terms of specifics. A national action plan must be tailored to the circumstances of the country concerned and each country will thus have a different starting point. But wherever that starting point may be, each country should formulate concrete measures to enable it to move forward in human rights terms. Principles expressed as mission statements The process of developing a national action plan will benefit from consideration of its conceptual origins and of the general purposes it is intended to serve. Many existing plans have included, in their introductory sections, statements about broad purposes and conceptual issues. Sometimes these are described as “mission statements”. Such considered statements constitute a useful orientation for those working on the plan as well as providing guidance to the general public. Many statements emphasize the importance of a commitment to international human rights standards both as a source of inspiration and as specific guidance for action. Broad objectives When considering the drafting of a national action plan, the objectives outlined in chapter 2 may be grouped into three distinct areas: • Achievement of genuine and substantive improvements in the observance of human rights; • Promotion of greater awareness of human rights, both in the general public and in specific sectors; and 72