members represent, be they civil society organizations or government agencies. The committee may also draw, should it so wish, on the guidance in chapter 9 and the experiences of other countries that have developed plans. In addition to proposals coming directly from members of the committee, proposals will also be made by members of the general public, either through the various formal and informal consultation mechanisms established by the committee or through written submissions. It will be the responsibility of the committee to decide on how these public proposals should be incorporated in the plan. Who should draft? There are several options as to how the actual drafting of the plan should proceed. Drafting may be done by: • The secretariat, • The various sectoral working groups, whose separate contributions can then be harmonized by the secretariat; • External consultants; or • Government agencies and civil society organizations, who can contribute to sections of the plan according to their responsibilities. Whichever approach is chosen, the committee secretariat will have major responsibility for its implementation. Drafts of work in progress should be referred regularly to all members of the committee, particularly to give committee members with specialist expertise an opportunity to contribute input for the text at an early stage. Timetable for drafting There should be a clear timetable for the drafting process. As noted in section 5.6, the coordinating committee should aim to launch the plan some 12 to 18 months after the process has begun. Given the need for lead time for drafting to begin, for consultations and for time to consider the final draft, this will impose a tight schedule on the drafters and the coordinating committee. If specific interim deadlines and drafting targets are established, the task will be manageable. Dissemination and consultations It is also desirable for the draft plan to be made available publicly, both electronically and in hard copy, for comment and input. In this way, greater benefit can be drawn from the views of broader civil society for the development of the plan. Reaching out to people in this way will enhance the credibility of the final version. Its provisions will be likely to enjoy more effective support. Releasing the plan in draft form will also assist in promoting public awareness through the media. In some situations, it may be necessary to translate the draft into other languages spoken in the country concerned. As with the original submissions, the committee will have to decide on how public comment should be incorporated in the final version of the plan. This could be through media dissemination or other publicity or by one or more meetings to facilitate consultation. 67