Conducting a National Inquiry into Systemic Patterns of Human Rights Violation Chapter 6: Draft objectives and the terms of reference KEY QUESTIONS • What are objectives? • What are terms of reference? • What are some examples of terms of reference used by national inquiries? 6.1. THE IMPORTANCE OF OBJECTIVES AND TERMS OF REFERENCE A national inquiry requires clear objectives and good terms of reference. The development of these is a key part of the planning process. Objectives relate to what the NHRI aims to accomplish through the national inquiry. They will be the basis on which the strategies for the inquiry are developed and implemented. Terms of reference set out what the inquiry will actually examine and report on. Together, the objectives and terms of reference form the basis of what the inquiry is to do. 6.2. WHAT ARE OBJECTIVES? Objectives are clear statements of what the inquiry is to achieve. They are usually broad or general statements. An inquiry can have more than one objective but there should not be too many of them. Most importantly, the objectives should not be inconsistent with each other. A few carefully selected and well-defined objectives will guide the NHRI and its inquiry in determining the most appropriate process for the inquiry. Once objectives are defined, the NHRI can determine how the inquiry will meet those objectives. To be effective, an objective must be well drafted. One model to use is SMART, ensuring that objectives are: • specific • measurable • achievable • relevant • timely. Objectives are also important to enable the inquiry to be monitored and evaluated. They form the basis for monitoring and evaluation. Monitoring happens during the inquiry. It asks how the inquiry is progressing against its objectives and whether adjustments need to be made to the inquiry process, or to the objectives. Evaluation tends to occur at the end of the inquiry and asks to what extent the inquiry achieved its objectives. 28