A/HRC/21/39 rights obligations into account when formulating and implementing policies affecting the lives of persons living in poverty. 8. Although persons living in extreme poverty cannot simply be reduced to a list of vulnerable groups, discrimination and exclusion are among the major causes and consequences of poverty. Persons living in poverty often experience disadvantage and discrimination based on race, gender, age, ethnicity, religion, language or other status. Women frequently encounter greater challenges in accessing income, assets and services and are particularly vulnerable to extreme poverty, as are such groups as children, older persons, persons with disabilities, migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, minorities, persons living with HIV/AIDS and indigenous peoples. 9. While States are responsible for realizing human rights, other actors, including international organizations, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations and business enterprises, also have responsibilities regarding the rights of those living in poverty. States must create an enabling environment that fosters and promotes the capacity of individuals, community-based organizations, social movements and other nongovernmental organizations to combat poverty and empower persons living in poverty to claim their rights. 10. States with laws and institutions that actively include those living in extreme poverty will benefit from the social engagement and contribution of their entire populations. The international community will also benefit as more States ensure social cohesion, a better standard of living for the poorest sectors of the population and the empowerment and integration of persons living in poverty into systems of rights and obligations. II. Objectives 11. The fruit of many years of consultations with States and other stakeholders, including persons living in poverty (see annex I), the objective of the Guiding Principles is to provide guidance on how to apply human rights standards in efforts to combat poverty. The Guiding Principles are intended as a tool for designing and implementing poverty reduction and eradication policies, and as a guide to how to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of persons living in extreme poverty in all areas of public policy. Based on internationally agreed human rights norms and principles, they draw on international and regional instruments and agreements, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in addition to the general comments and recommendations of United Nations treaty bodies. The Guiding Principles guide the application of human rights obligations in policy decisions at the national and international levels, including decisions concerning international assistance and cooperation. The implementation of the Guiding Principles should thus be seen in the context of States’ existing obligations under international law. 12. The Guiding Principles are global in scope. They should be used by all countries and regions at all stages of economic development, with due regard to national specificities. They are based on a relational and multidimensional view of poverty that recognizes that the empowerment of persons living in poverty should be both a means of realizing the rights of the poor and an end in itself. 13. Persons living in poverty have diverse experiences and needs and encounter different levels of poverty, in terms of both intensity and duration. While all such persons 5