Summary This Manual provides NHRIs with support on monitoring socio-economic policies and development plans from a human rights perspective. It was developed in consultation with senior staff from NHRIs across the Asia Pacific region, building on the lessons learned from a series of pilot projects conducted in the region. The Manual introduces the OPERA framework, as well as a range of tools and techniques for collecting and analysing data – both qualitative and quantitative – under each of its four steps. OPERA is not a one-size-fits-all model to follow. It sets out the broad categories of issues that need to be addressed when monitoring ESCR. Within each of these categories, there is a checklist of indicative questions and suggested methods for answering them. But it will ultimately be up to each NHRI to determine which questions demand greater attention for the purposes of a particular monitoring activity and how they can best be answered, depending on the objectives, priorities and practical constraints involved. PART I: DEFINING THE ISSUES TO BE MONITORED Chapter 1: Poverty, development and human rights: Making the connections The Asia Pacific region faces considerable challenges related to poverty. The human rights-based approach to development is a useful way to frame poverty as a human rights concern. Monitoring in is an important component of the human rights-based approach because it can provide the evidence needed to demand accountability when development plans and socio-economic policies cause, continue or worsen deprivations of ESCR. Chapter 2: Economic, social and cultural rights standards ESCR have been defined and interpreted in international and domestic law. In particular, the jurisprudence of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other national and international bodies has clarified the standards and principles that underpin States’ human rights obligations. States are obligated to respect, protect and fulfil ESCR. This involves both obligations of conduct and obligations of result. While obligations of result can generally be achieved progressively, obligations of conduct are immediate. These obligations include taking steps to increase the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of relevant goods and services for all, without discrimination. ‘Temporary special measures’ may be required to achieve real, substantive equality, including with regard to women’s human rights. Maximum available resources should be dedicated towards such steps. Chapter 3: Monitoring the fulfilment of economic, social and cultural rights There is a difference between events-based monitoring (which focuses on gathering and corroborating primary evidence from victims and witnesses) and policy monitoring (which takes a “macro” approach). Policy analysis is often more appropriate when monitoring failures to fulfil ESCR. OPERA is a fourstep analytical framework that can be used for policy monitoring. It analyses Outcomes, Policy Efforts, Resources, in order to make an Assessment about the fulfilment of rights. Chapter 4: Working with indicators and benchmarks Indicators are essentially a way of framing questions in a simple, precise way, while benchmarks provide a reference point for judging the information captured by an indicator. Indicators and benchmarks can be used to measure the different human rights norms covered by OPERA. There are various approaches for identifying indicators and benchmarks, such as consultations with rights holders, using government commitments and drawing on recommendations made by international agencies. Summary | 165