This guide has been developed in response to a demand for practical tools to empower civil society and build state institutional capacity in public policy and budget monitoring, and aims to increase the understanding and application of a human rights based approach (HRBA). It was developed by the MDG Section of the Research and Right to Development Division of OHCHR and a group of experts in the field of policy and budget analysis, and it builds on a body of existing international work while aiming to demonstrate the added value a HRBA brings to budget and policy monitoring and analysis. This innovative approach places the OHCHR as a catalyst for achieving more sustainable and equitable development goals (including the MDGs), facilitating processes and eventual impact on the lives of people experiencing severe forms of poverty and marginalisation, in partnership with development actors and human rights practitioners.