IV. >> Illustrating the Framework - Indicators for Some Rights
>> Putting indicators into context and building country ownership
indicators.15 The focus also has to be on factoring
in the customary practices and institutions unique
to the country while formulating the structural indicators. Similarly, for the outcome indicators, the
illustrative formulation may have to be customized to reflect the local focus on certain target
population groups or overcome the capacity and
data constraints. The main task of contextualization relates to the process indicators. For them, the
country’s level of socioeconomic development, its
population groups identified as being vulnerable,
marginalized or at risk of discrimination and, hence,
targeted through public interventions, the nature
of its public policies and programmes and its
capacity constraints on data collection will determine the contextually appropriate formulation.
In using the framework of structural, process and
outcome indicators, the objective has been to cover
consistently and comprehensively indicators that can
reflect the commitment-effort-result aspects of the
realization of human rights. In the final analysis,
it may not matter if an indicator is identified as a
process or outcome indicator so long as it captures
relevant aspect(s) of an attribute of a right or the
right in general. Working with such a configuration
of indicators simplifies the selection of indicators,
encourages the use of contextually relevant
information, facilitates a more comprehensive
coverage of the human rights standards, can help
in organizing the collection of information among
national stakeholders and minimize the overall
number of indicators required to monitor the
realization of a right in any context. Finally, the
framework enables the potential users to make an
informed choice on the type of indicator and level
of disaggregation that best reflect the contextual
requirements for implementing a human right or
some attributes of a right, while recognizing the
full scope of obligations on the relevant human
right standards.
15. For instance, when the Human Rights Committee is concerned “about the low level of participation of women in public affairs, and
that women continue to have a disproportionately low presence in the political and economic life of the State party, particularly
in senior positions of public administration (arts. 2, 3 and 26)” and states that the “State party should take immediate steps to
change public attitude towards the suitability of women for positions in public affairs and consider adopting a policy of positive
action” and should take “appropriate measures to ensure the effective participation of women in political, public and other sectors
of the State party” (CCPR/CO/82/ALB, para. 11), the use of some outcome indicators (e.g., proportion of relevant positions in the
public and private sectors held by women), structural indicators (e.g., date of entry into force of special and temporary measures
to ensure or accelerate equality in the enjoyment of rights by women) and process indicators (e.g., budget spent on an awareness
campaign for promoting the participation of women in public affairs) becomes meaningful.
86 Human Rights Indicators
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