text: Special Rapporteur these indicators can and should have a role to play in a variety of human rights organs. 2. An exhaustive analysis of the use of indicators throughout the United Nations system, especially at this stage of analysis, is neither possible nor necessarily desirable. The extremely broad issue of indicators has received extensive coverage elsewhere, although this has generally been in fields other than human rights. Many indicators currently collected, analysed and eventually utilized are clearly of limited relevance to the topic at hand. As such, a selective human rights specific approach will be applied in discussing the pertinence of indicators to the aims of this Study. The use of indicators by the specialized agencies, such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as within additional agencies which have thus far had largely peripheral relationships with any of the human rights organs, will be explored. 3. It needs to be stated from the outset that the issue of indicators is so extensive, complex and intricate that any analysis of their potential use in the realization of economic, social and cultural rights cannot be fully carried out in this progress report. Further consideration of the various issues involved will be required. I. What are indicators? 4. The word indicator refers to statistical data which attempts to provide or "indicate" (usually based on some form of numerical quantification) the prevailing circvunstances at a given place at a given point in time. Indicators provide one possible means of inquiry, but although significant progress has been made over the past several decades concerning all aspects of indicators, this method of measurement remains in many ways imperfect. The 
analysis: The text discusses the use of indicators in the context of human rights, specifically in relation to economic, social, and cultural rights. The indicators mentioned are collected and analyzed by various specialized agencies, such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The text does not specifically mention any of the categories related to natural resources, industry, transport, communication, humanitarian aid, or science and technology. It is more likely that the indicators are related to social and economic issues, such as employment, education, and health.