The notion of indicators as technologies of global governance denotes at least two parties: one the indicator, the other being measured by it. Each of these parties may be, in turn, unpacked so as to include competing actors and agendas on each side of the equation. Thus research of the challenges of this technology requires two complementary paths. First, an exploration of the producing end of the equation: How are indicators created? By whom? Do they enhance or reduce accountability? Can they be regulated? A second area of exploration is the receiving end of the indicator; that is, research focusing on those whose performance is being measured and compared. This paper belongs to that second area. It presents a case study on the role of international indicators in the implementation of internally displaced population (IDP) policy in Colombia, and argues that monitoring is only part of the indicators story, as there is a dialectic element to the process of creating and applying them. Focusing on the role of indicators in domestic politics, this paper argues that indicators are also creatively used for local purposes, not necessarily connected with their original, global origin.