The programme sets out a series of broad objectives including strengthening the human rights culture, consolidating institutional mechanisms, eradicating impunity, developing human rights monitoring mechanisms, strengthening public information activities, assisting in fulfilling international commitments and promoting cooperation with civil society. It then describes a series of more specific activities that government agencies will undertake to give effect to these objectives. Under the general heading “Strengthening”, the programme provides for seminars and training courses for public servants and reinforcement of human rights education programmes. Under the heading “Promotion”, the programme provides for public information campaigns and the establishment of human rights promotion and dissemination mechanisms. Under the heading “Protection”, it provides for the bolstering of law enforcement mechanisms in cases where human rights have been violated, and assistance in fulfilling international obligations and strengthening evaluation activities to protect the rights of members of vulnerable groups. The programme lists some broad activities to be pursued in the short term, including a national campaign against violence, torture and impunity, and production and dissemination of audiovisual material on protection of human rights. It then lists specific activities to be undertaken by a range of key agencies. The following is a small selection of these activities: • Eradication of illegal procedures and harassment of persons with criminal records; introduction of legislation to criminalize the production and sale of child pornography (Secretariat of the Interior); • Review of reservations to international instruments (Secretariat of Foreign Affairs); • Strengthening knowledge of children’s rights in teacher training (Secretariat of Public Education), • Holding a seminar on the right to health care (Secretariat of Health). The Mexican programme addresses the issue of monitoring and evaluation, envisaging the establishment of a Technical Follow-Up Committee. 4.9 South Africa (1998) The South African “National Action Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights” is set out in a small 151-page pocketbook. The plan contains a foreword by then President Mandela, the Minister and Deputy Minister for Justice and the Chairperson of the South African Human Rights Commission. The plan has a time frame of three years and states that it was developed with international cooperation. The plan is a very comprehensive document. It includes a brief outline of South Africa’s human rights history and current situation and indicates how a national action plan can help advance human rights in South Africa. A notable feature of the document is the detailed description of its development. The process was consciously participatory and collaborative, beginning with a National Human Rights Conference convened by the South African Human Rights Commission in May 1997. This was 35