A/HRC/30/20 or facilitate serious violations of international human rights law or international humanitarian law. 32. When undertaken by policymakers, human rights impact assessments can ensure that all human rights are factored into policy development at the earliest possible stage. For example, policy planning should ensure adequate social protection and combat social exclusion. This is crucial in particular as many States have responded to the recent global financial crisis with austerity measures that significantly cut social sector spending.69 According to a recent OHCHR report, “cuts in public sector employment and in funding for social safety nets have resulted in the denial or infringement of economic, social and cultural rights, especially for populations that are already marginalized or at risk of marginalization and in some cases may violate the prohibition on discrimination in the enjoyment of human rights” (E/2013/82, para. 70). The Chairperson of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has in this regard noted that, to comply with their human rights obligations, States parties to the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights must justify austerity measures by demonstrating that such measures actually protect the rights outlined in the Covenant, and particularly the rights of the most vulnerable. This requires States to demonstrate that all other alternatives have been exhausted and that the measures are necessary, proportionate, respectful of minimum core obligations and nondiscriminatory.70 Data collection and analysis of statistics 33. Data collection and analysis of statistics about the population and specific issues is essential to prevent and address discrimination against specific groups. This in turn requires that data coverage is sufficiently accurate and representative: where groups are not included in the first place in data collection, their absence from programmes, or discrimination against them, will not appear in statistics. Participation by NHRIs, civil society, specific groups and statisticians in the preparation of surveys and questionnaires helps to minimize this risk. A human rights approach to data disaggregation requires reaching the most vulnerable and marginalized groups, and ensuring that human rights safeguards are in place for the collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of that data (including ensuring the rights to data protection, registration and self-identification).71 34. Helplines, complaint and petition registries of NHRIs (A/HRC/18/24, para. 43) and similar programmes are a useful supplement to systematic data collection and may also provide a basis for identifying issues and problems that are not being adequately addressed or had not previously been identified. Human rights indicators 35. Human rights indicators72 are essential tools to help States assess their own progress in ensuring the enjoyment of human rights by their people, planning for actions to prevent human rights violations, and monitoring the implementation of such actions for effectiveness and whether adjustments or further actions are needed. In the work of the 69 70 71 72 12 Response by the Ombudsman of the Republic of Latvia. Ariranga G. Pillay, Chairperson, Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Letter to States Parties, 16 May 2012, available from http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cescr/docs/LetterCESCRtoSP16.05.12.pdf. “SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals] Indicator Framework: A Human Rights Approach to Data Disaggregation to Leave No One Behind” (OHCHR, 2015). Human Rights Indicators: A Guide to Measurement and Implementation (United Nations, 2012). See also E/2011/90 on the use of indicators in realizing economic, social and cultural rights.