1. Global Measurement on Human Rights
Marah Subahi
Gina Kim
Sonia Jhung

3. What is the OHCHR? “The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) represents the world's commitment to universal ideals of human dignity. We have a unique mandate from the international community to promote and protect all human rights.”

4. Why are we using their indicators
Why are we using their indicators? OHCHR’s conceptual and methodological indicators: 1. can be applied and contextualized at national level 2. adopts a common approach to identifying indicators for monitoring civil and political rights, and economic, social and cultural rights 3. focuses on quantitative as well as qualitative indicators 4. are simple, based on objective and transparent methodology, with an emphasis on disaggregation

5. Why is it important to have indicators. Human Rights indicators: 1
Why is it important to have indicators? Human Rights indicators: 1. allow States to assess their own progress in implementing human rights and compliance with the international treaties 2. provide tools for civil society to monitor progress and ensure accountability 3. assist national governments in implementing rights-based policy 4. bolster cases argued by human rights advocates and provide further access to information

6. Setting Up Human Rights Monitoring Systems
STEP 1: Identification of Monitoring Stakeholders STEP 2: Facilitation of Country-Owned Monitoring Mechanisms STEP 3: Identification of Major Vulnerable Groups

7. Setting Up Human Rights Monitoring Systems
STEP 4: Focus on non-discrimination and accessibility STEP 5: Capacity-building for data collection and disaggregation STEP 6: Reporting periodicity, publication, public access to information and follow-up

8. 16 Indicators http://www. ohchr

9. Focus: Indicator 1
Status of ratification of the 18 international human rights treaties and optional protocols:
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Optional Protocol of the Convention against Torture
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights aiming to the abolition of the death penalty
Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
Convention on the Rights of the Child
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children child prostitution and child pornography
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
Optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

10. The Cases of USA, UK, Thailand
Discuss in groups of 3-4: Which country do you think ratified the most treaties? The least? Why?

11. The Results USA Signed 9 Ratified 5
Didn’t accept Covenant on Abolition of Death Penalty, Rights of Migrant Workers UK
Signed 11
Ratified 11
Accepted 2 optional protocols
Didn’t accept Covenant of Rights of Migrant Workers
Thailand
Signed 2
Ratified 1
Accessed to 8 (accession has the same legal binds as ratification; happens after treaty is in effect)
Record has been improving since mid-1970s, when country started to experiment with democracy

15. Discussion Questions
Taking into account the data, which country do you think has the best human rights record overall?
Do you think these indicators accurately represents the state of human rights in each of these countries?
What are some limitations of current systems of measuring HRs? (Like OHCHR)
What improvements could be made?