United Nations Research Institute on Social Development (UNRISD) has made the following useful point: "The term 'indicator' reflects the necessary modesty that must attach to statistics intended to measure one or other aspect of development; indicators are not necessarily direct and full measures of what they are intended to indicate but often indirect or incomplete measures (e.g. measures of causes, instrumentalities or inputs; of effects or outputs; of particular manifestations, phases or parts of the whole). This is perhaps especially true of social development indicators. An indicator is not just a statistical series but a statistical series plus a set of assumptions; it requires careful examination and testing before use." 1/ 5. Along the same lines, WHO has stated that "[a]s the name suggests, indicators are an indication of a given situation, or a reflection of that situation". 2/ Within the WHO guidelines for health programme evaluation, indicators are defined as "variables which help to measure changes". 6. These two points reveal the general purposes and shortcomings of indicators. Essentially they can be utilized to measure both a certain sitixation and changes concerning this situation over time, albeit with some weaknesses which will need to be rectified if indicators are to be incorporated more thoroughly into the realm of human rights. II. gpme background issues 7. The use of indicators within the field of economic, social and cultural rights can, if applied in a precise and systematic manner, contribute to the realization of these rights in a variety of ways. Indeed, without the availability of a measurement device based on some form of statistical data, there is little chance of obtaining an overall picture which shows the extent which these rights are realized. Indicators can provide one means of assessing progress over time towards the "progressive realization" of these 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the concept of indicators and their use in measuring development, specifically in the context of economic, social, and cultural rights. The text does not mention any specific sectors or industries, but rather focuses on the general idea of using indicators to assess progress towards the realization of human rights.

**Category**
Human rights, Education