A HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED

APPROACH TO MONITORING
AND EVALUATION
1 July, 2015

Monitoring
Systematic, ongoin
During programme
implementatio
Tracking of activities
and progress
According to the
workplan
For short term
corrective action
Accountability for
implementation
Contributes to
evaluation
Conducted by insiders
Are we doing things

Evaluation
Systematic, periodic
During and after
programme implementatio
Judgement of merit, value
or worth of a
programme/project
Compared to evaluation
criteria (relevance,
effectiveness, impac
For decision-making about
future programme
Accountability for resuls
For office & organizational
learning
Conducted by impartial
outsider

Did we do the right

A Human Rights Based Approach

to Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring that is sensitive to human rights

applies the human rights principles and standards

to inform and strengthen
Results and indicators
Processes (both development processes and processes

for monitoring and reporting)

It asks some fundamental questions

What to measure?
Who to involve?
How to measure?

What to Measure?
Ideally:
Results
Outputs
Outcomes
Impacts

Mechanisms and processes for

programme implementation, monitoring and

reporting

Who to Involve?
Another way of thinking about how to apply

principles of participation and inclusion to

M&E process
A HRBA
Ensures that both rights-holders and duty-

bearers are involved in M&E

Will pay special attention to measures that
include vulnerable groups

How to Measure?
Human rights principles and standards guide the

selection of indicators and the development of

monitoring and reporting systems
Indicators should be chosen that:
Capture the extent to which human rights principles

have been incorporated into all stages of the

programme
Demonstrate how incorporating human rights standards
has contributed to overall programme effectiveness
Processes must be non-discriminatory,

participatory and accountable

What is an indicator?

A tool to measure evidence of progress

towards a result or that a result has
been achieved

Indicators
Indicators describe how the intended results

will be measured - accountability

Objectively verifiable measures of a particular

condition
They force clarification of what is meant by the

result
Must be accompanied by baselines and

targets

Baseline, Target and Achievement

Performance
Commitment

Achievement
At end of period

Planned
Level of
Achievement

Current
Level of
Achievement

Ba
s

eli
ne

Tar
get

Ac
h

iev
em

en
t

Types of Indicators
Quantitative statistical
measures:
Number of
Frequency of
% of
Ratio of
Variance with

Qualitative judgments or
perceptions:
Alignment with
Presence of
Quality of
Extent of
Level of

HRBA and indicator development

Inclusiveness: Do your indicators capture the

experience of vulnerable and marginalised groups?

Can your indicators be disaggregated?
Ownership: Have RHs and DBs contributed to the

development of the indicators? Do they have

confidence in the indicators chosen?
Clarity: Are they clear and understandable to all

audiences, including vulnerable and marginalised

groups?