I. >> H  uman Rights and Indicators: Rationale and Some Concerns >> Indicators in the international legal framework help assess the realization of the right to participate in public affairs (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, art. 25). Similarly, a decline in the incidence of forced evictions can contribute to the realization of the right to adequate housing. Moreover, focusing solely on outcomes, whether positive or negative, undermines the importance of monitoring the obligation of conduct, accepted by States by ratifying the relevant human rights treaties. It is therefore necessary to focus not only on the realization of outcomes consistent with the implementation of human rights standards, but also on the process of realizing such outcomes. These concerns have not been adequately addressed and progress in the acceptance and use of indicators in human rights assessments has consequently been slow. Recognizing that it is important to address them provides the rationale for adopting a common, practical approach to identifying indicators and developing tools that can be used for assessing both civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights. E. Indicators in the international legal framework The use of indicators and statistics is neither alien nor new to the United Nations human rights system. The human rights monitoring mechanisms, such as the treaty bodies, special procedures mandates holders and UPR, refer to and make use of a wide range of indicators, including statistical indicators (box 3). The demand for specific indicators is reflected in the human rights normative framework. While some quantitative indicators are explicitly mentioned in the human rights treaties, their type and role are further specified in general comments and recommendations adopted by the treaty bodies.26 Regarding the treaties, article 10 of the Con- vention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, on the right to education, provides for the reduction of “female student dropout rates”. In the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, article 12 states that to achieve the full realization of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, the steps to be taken by the States parties shall include those necessary for the provision for the reduction of the stillbirth rate and of infant mortality.27 Article 24 (2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states that “every child shall be registered immediately after birth and 26. Reports prepared by the special procedures mandate holders of the Human Rights Council (and its predecessor, the Commission on Human Rights) have also referred to and made use of specific indicators. See, for instance, the reports of Paul Hunt, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health (A/58/427), and Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (A/HRC/14/24). 27. The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted in 1993, stated that “to strengthen the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights, additional approaches should be examined, such as a system of indicators to measure progress in the realization of the rights set forth in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights” (para. 98). In 2009, the Outcome Document of the Durban Review Conference recommended that States should “develop a system of data collection, including equal-opportunity and non-discrimination indicators, that, upholding the right to privacy and the principle of self-identification, makes it possible to assess and guide the formulation of policies and actions to eradicate racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and to consider, where appropriate, seeking the assistance of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights” (para. 104). 24 Human Rights Indicators