8.3 Identification of priorities A human rights action plan covers very broad fields of activity. It is not possible to overcome all human rights problems immediately. Resources and the need for education are important constraints. Consequently, judgements have to be made about priorities. Prioritization is a necessary management tool and is particularly important in the area of human rights because of the limited resources available in relation to the amount of work to be undertaken. Moreover, some human rights problems should be given priority, such as those concerning the right to life, torture and security of the person. Lastly, prioritization is closely related to the concept of substantive equality. The promotion of substantive and not only formal equality contributes significantly to the elimination of discrimination on grounds of race, gender and other criteria that have been identified in international standards. Prioritization should be undertaken on a cooperative basis and it should be one of the prime tasks of the national coordinating committee. The following are some criteria for high-priority tasks: • The severity of the problem identified in terms of its human rights impact; • The cost implications of possible human rights “solutions”, taking into account the availability of resources; • The impact of accomplishment of the task on other plan objectives; and • The extent of public concern over the issue. For those concerned with human rights improvements, the need for prioritization presents some dangers. They must be careful to avoid moving from discussion of priorities to the conclusion that one category of rights needs to be implemented before others can be realized. Recognition of the need to provide “all human rights for all”, to move forward in all areas, is essential to any comprehensive approach. What then should be the priorities? Obviously they will differ from country to country but they should become clearer as a result of the baseline study process. The plan should certainly not fail to give proper expression to the most urgent problems identified in the needs assessment. Usually such problems will draw attention to themselves. Where there are people whose right to life is at risk, who are living in pain, fear and insecurity, who are living in misery because their economic, social and cultural rights are denied, or who suffer discrimination, some at least of the priorities will become clear. A national plan’s time frames and financial resources should obviously be designed to give preference to eliminating such serious problems. This will give rise to some difficult choices for the coordinating committee. In addressing priorities, it should give explicit attention to time frames - whether short, medium or long - for achievement of priority goals. This will enhance the plan’s transparency and promote discussion and purposive action. 65