Recently, interest has focused on economic and social indicators, probably ­because it has been recognised that the content of ESC rights needs better ­definition. But indicators can certainly be used to monitor civil and political rights. It may be possible to record or estimate the number of people ­detained without charge, for example. Has the government made money available to fund legal aid? Have police officers been trained to apply international ­standards related to arrest and detention? Most of these indicators can also be ­disaggregated. Ways of disaggregating indicators: the right to health The right to health imposes obligations on government to ensure ­provision of various services, including universal primary health care, other ­preventive and curative medical services, and affordable essential drugs of good ­quality. But the right to health goes far beyond medical services. The key determinants of health are levels of economic well-being leading to good housing, sanitation and nutrition. This has important implications for ­governments as well as other actors, including pharmaceutical companies and health professionals. Since the right to health can be disaggregated, indicators can be devised for each of its elements. A general indicator can be broken down to shed light on the access to health of particular groups: children, the elderly or women; or on the allocation of investments: in medical services, housing or sanitation; or on the availability of drugs. Indicators can equally track what proportions of the health budget are spent on drugs, personnel, building hospitals, immunisation, urban versus rural areas, etc. All these figures can be analysed over time to show trends and priorities and make comparison between heads of expenditure. Taken further, such indicators can be compared with statistical information on infant mortality rate and life expectancy – for example, in rural areas, to help set policy priorities and analyse given changes in public health policies. Other indicators can be developed to make comparisons across sectors. Health spending can be calculated as a proportion of the government budget and gross domestic product, and compared with other areas of spending such as education, the judiciary or defence. Such indicators can help to show whether progress is being made towards realising the right to health, or if the sector is slipping backwards. Along with other forms of budget analysis, they can be a helpful guide to the government’s priorities, year by year, and over time. B. Using indicators to evaluate NHRIs’ performance Indicators are most effectively used to measure the performance of an ­institution when they are fully integrated within the NHRI’s planning, implementation and evaluation processes. When evaluation criteria are established (at least broadly) at the planning stage, the institution’s aims and associated indicators can function as targets 32 Assessing the Effectiveness of National Human Rights Institutions