This document discusses developing indicators to monitor the implementation of human rights plans. It outlines reasons for systematically collecting human rights data, including making assessments more objective and creating accountability. Both qualitative and quantitative indicators can be used. Good indicators are relevant, reliable, and based on transparent methodology. Data should be disaggregated and timely. The document also examines the British Human Rights Measurement Framework as an example and priorities like prioritizing national law and using existing data sources.

1. Indicators for Monitoring
Implementation of a National
Human Rights Plan
Dan O’Donnell
Consultant, UNDP
Kyiv, 20 September 2016

2. Human Rights Indicator
Specific information on … an
object, event, activity or outcome
that … can be used to assess and
monitor the promotion and
implementation of human rights.

3. Reasons to systematically collect
data on human rights
1. To prepare a situation analysis, identify
objectives and the measures needed to achieve
them, and mobilize resources
2. To make the assessment of human rights
issues more objective
3. To make communication about human rights
“more concrete and effective”
4. To create a culture of accountability and
transparency”.

4. Kinds of indicators
 Qualitative(narrative) or Quantitative (statistics)
 Fact-based (objective) or judgement-based
(subjective)
 Structural
 Process
 Outcome/impact

5. Sources for the
development of indicators
 administrative data collected for internal use
 data sent to international databanks
 reporting guidelines UN treaty monitoring bodies
 recommendations of UN/EU bodies to Ukraine
 texts of international treaties
 texts of other international standards
 general recommendations of UN and other bodies

6. Reflections
 … any statistical system … must be user-
oriented. Statistics must not be viewed as
ends in themselves, but as a means to other
ends such as decision-making, research and
general enlightenment.
 The very idea of a statistics system or
programme is ambitious; it implies an
enormous amount of planning and
coordination.
Manual for the Development of a System of
Criminal Justice Statistics, UN Statistics Division, 2003

7. Qualities of a good indicator
 the most important quality an indicator should have is
relevance
 Relevance is “The degree to which statistical information
meets the real needs of clients.” (OECD)
 The utility of data that an indicator is designed to produce
in helping to understanding the extent a human right is
enjoyed or effectively protected
 the most important quality that data should have is
reliability

8. Qualities of good data
 The most important quality that data should have is
reliability
 Factors that undermine reliability:
- ambiguous definitions
- deliberate manipulation
- incentives to distort information
- reluctance of sources to provide information
- unrepesentative samples

9. Other issues
 data must be interpreted in context
 use the most relevant unit of count
 coherence of data from different sources
 data to be “based on transparent and verifiable
methodology” OHCHR
 disaggregation vital for human rights data
 data should be timely timaly
 validation - “the most important and in many cases most
forgotten stage of the data collection process” European
Sourcebook Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics

10. British Human Rights
Measurement Framework
 developed in 2010 by 2 UK human rights commissions
 based on OHCHR methodology but emphasis on national
law
 Project Management Group of 7 commission staff
 Advisory Group of 25 other experts & stakeholders
 covers 5 civil and 3 social rights
 10 indicators for each right (half outcome indicators)

11. Steps in development of Framework
1. review of literature and data
2. development of provisional list of rights
3. ‘testing’ and revision by Advisory Group
4. development of a long list of relevant indicators
5. selection of short list of most relevant indicators
6. further consultations with stakeholders and experts
7. development of “evidence base” for each indicator
8. consultation with all sources of data

12. Priorities and balances
Three priorities:
- give priority to national law
- reinforce the role of existing administrative mechanisms
- complement official data with reliable unofficial data
Three balances:
- data on violations and data on broader trends
- objective and subjective indicators
- Indicators on positive and negative obligations

13. Principles on Cost and Feasibility
1. Emphasis on existing sources (administrative
data and surveys)
2. Complemetarity- use Indicators in existing
human rights databases when relevant
3. Minimize cost – take cost of new indicators into
account
There must be a balance between the relevance of data
collected and the burden on the respondent Manual for the
Development of a
System of Criminal Justice Statistics

14. National Strategy for Human Rights
The National Strategy has 6 expected results on torture:
1. an effective system of investigation of torture
2. effective legal protection from ill-treatment
3. providing victims effective remedies and rehabilitation
4 conditions of detention and treatment compliant with
international standards
5. ensuring effective operation of the NPM
6. observance of principle that no-one may be expelled to a
country where he or she may suffer ill-treatment

15. Torture in the Action Plan
 50 measures to achieve the 6 expected results
 two-thirds concern law reform, orders or
administrative regulations
 most indicators on law reform are process indicators
 some are vague or subjective
 most indicators on secondary norms are structural
 few indicators on secondary norms call for adoption
and implementation

16. Impact indicators on torture
 The OHCHR Guide recommends at least one
outcome indicator for each “expected output”
 The British Framework was based on the principle
that half of all indicators should be on impact
 the Action Plan contains a few impact indicators on
infrastructural measures
 the indicator for a few administrative measures is
reduction of the incidence of torture,