attitudes, to intensify human rights education programmes and to strengthen human rights institutions. The most prominent activities that governments and communities are considering in this area probably include the establishment of national human rights institutions, the development of national programmes of human rights education and the development of national plans of action for the promotion and protection of human rights.1 1.3 The value of national action plans National action plans require considerable planning and effort. The practical value of a national plan will not necessarily be the same in all situations. A decision whether or not to embark on such a plan needs to be taken in a serious and critical fashion in each case, in the light of a realistic appraisal of national needs and circumstances. As elaborated elsewhere in this Handbook, experience to date suggests that factors with a likely bearing on a particular plan’s effectiveness include: • • • • • • The level of political support; Transparent and participatory planning; Comprehensiveness of the baseline human rights study underlying the plan; Realistic prioritization and action-oriented planning; Clear success criteria and strong participatory mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation; and Adequate commitment of resources. As shown in section 8.7, great care is required to ensure linkage with existing overarching national development frameworks (such as the national development plans of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or the World Bank) and with policy planning processes in the areas of health, education, law enforcement and so forth to ensure that human rights concerns are not unwittingly quarantined in a separate “sector”. Subject to these kinds of considerations, it would be reasonable to expect the following outcomes from a national action plan: • • • • Ratification of additional international standards and more effective incorporation of these standards in domestic law and practice, leading to an expansion of the range of human rights protection for individuals; A stronger administration of justice, improved rule of law, strengthened independence of the judiciary and improved practices on the part of security authorities; Better awareness and implementation of economic, social and cultural rights, leading to an improved quality of life, particularly for vulnerable groups; Improved linkage between human rights and development; 1 The terminology used for national plans of action varies somewhat from country to country. In this Handbook, we use the terms “national plans of action for the promotion and protection of human rights”, “national plans of action”, “national plans” and “national action plans” interchangeably. Some countries prefer the word “programme” to “plan”. 2