Part I Defining the issues to be monitored Third, indicators should be seen as relevant and legitimate by rights holders. In line with the principle of participation, the views of rights holders should be sought in the process of identifying the indicators and reflected in those indicators selected. SMART S – Specific M – Measurable A – Ambitious R – Realistic T – Time-bound Like indicators, benchmarks should be specific and measurable. Because they have a more normative dimension to them – in other words, they commit the State to a level of performance on a particular indicator in the future – they need to be ambitious but realistic, as well as time-bound. In short, they need to be “SMART”, as shown in the box. It is important to note that there can sometimes be tensions between these criteria. For example, an indicator might be very important to rights holders but difficult to measure, or a benchmark might have a lot of buy-in from the State but not be as ambitious as civil society would like. 4.5.3. Sources of indicators and benchmarks Indicators and benchmarks are being developed at a rapid pace. Below is an illustrative list of some useful sources of indicators and benchmarks. Human rights indicators: In addition to OHCHR’s indicators framework discussed previously, there are many examples of indicators that have been developed for specific rights, including education, decent work, and water and sanitation. Socio-economic indicators: See, for example, indicators from UNDP’s human development reports, or the World Bank’s data, which show people’s standard of living (e.g. life expectancy, literacy and levels of employment). Gender equality indicators: For example, the UN maintains a ‘minimum set of gender indicators’, which countries should measure, including qualitative and quantitative indicators such as hours spent on unpaid care work, women’s share of government ministerial positions, and the existence of laws on domestic violence. International goals (and accompanying indicators): The most widely known of these are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Another example is the Education for All Goals. Guidelines and recommendations from specialized UN agencies: For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that at least five emergency obstetric care facilities, including at least one comprehensive facility, are available for every population of 500,000. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNICEF, UNESCO and others also publish guidelines on topics related to their mandate. National commitments: These include national development plans or human rights action plans. Government strategies in specific sectors often include targets or key performance indicators. Reports from NHRIs: As discussed further in Part IV, the report of a particular monitoring activity might recommend specific benchmarks. Chapter 4: Working with indicators and benchmarks | 49