Under Article 55 of the UN Charter, all UN members commit to promote ‘universal respect for, and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction’. But to what extent do they put this into practice? When a country is making progress in development, who is to say whether or not its rate of progress is adequate? In this chapter of the UNDP’s Human Development Report for 2000, statistical indicators are presented as a powerful tool in the struggle for human rights.
When based on careful research and method, statistical indicators help to establish strong evidence, open dialogue and increase accountability. However, statistics must be handled carefully – they can be distorted in a number of ways. In order to preserve the integrity of the data, statistics must be based on identifiable criteria, be consistently measurable, possible to disaggregate, and relevant – giving messages that can be influenced by policy action. Where possible they must also be produced by someone other than the subject being monitored, in order to reduce conflict of interest.
Statistical indicators produce information that can give policy signals on how better to realise human freedoms, and rely on measures of outcomes and inputs. To see the full picture, it is necessary to look not just at the answers the data provides, but the questions: Revealing disparities behind average outcomes, for example, or exposing discriminatory practices within an apparently equitable system.
Realising human rights goes far beyond average national performance. Indicators are needed that can help create a culture of accountability, exploring the impact that the state, civil society organisations (CSOs) and others have on rights, and whether they are meeting their obligations. Indicators for human rights need to be explored for four interlocking objectives:
- Asking whether states respect, protect and fulfil rights – the basic framework of accountability.
- Ensuring that key principles of rights have been met – are rights realised without discrimination, with adequate progress, people’s participation and effective remedies?
- Ensuring secure access to rights – are the social norms, institutions, laws and economic environment those that will allow human rights to be met?
- Identifying critical non-state actors – who else (CSOs, families, corporations, communities, international agencies) has an impact on realising rights, and what is that impact?
We now see the rise of new CSOs and locally based human rights documentation centres, better access to information in terms of greater freedom of expression and improved information technology, and a more professional approach to the documentation of rights – how can these opportunities strengthen human rights accountability through statistical indicators?
- Collecting more and better official data: National statistics offices and UN agencies need to work closely together to gather more complete data sets.
- Diversifying sources of information: Supplementing official data with information gathered within the community (schools, hospitals, libraries) and the workplace, aided by procedures and training provided by the Human Rights Information and Documentation Systems, International (HURIDOCS).
- Realising the right to information: Pursuing policies that encourage openness in public life, creating a culture where all people may access information and put it to use.
- Strengthening procedures of accountability: Multilateral agencies and other non-state actors must accept responsibility for the realisation of human rights, cooperate with external monitors and respond to recommendations. An index can be created to assess the extent to which UN members can be internationally accountable.
