A/66/265 74. Penalization measures are often motivated by prejudices and negative stereotypes that ignore the realities of disadvantage and exclusion and fail to recognize the daily struggle of persons living in poverty to overcome the multiple obstacles they face. Poverty is not a lifestyle choice. Homeless persons would prefer safe, affordable, adequate housing to public parks and bus stations. Those struggling to survive on social benefits would rather have secure, regular, well-paying, productive employment than be subject to discrimination and live in constant fear that their entitlements will be taken away. One does not choose to live in poverty, and therefore should not be punished for that situation. 75. Measures that result in the penalization of those living in poverty do nothing to tackle the root causes of poverty and social exclusion. They serve only to entrench further the multiple deprivations faced by those living in poverty and create barriers to poverty reduction and social inclusion. Consequently, they greatly undermine the ability of States to comply with their obligations to respect, protect and fulfil human rights. 76. Rather than penalizing the poorest for their situation, States must take positive measures to bring down the legal, economic, social and administrative barriers that persons living in poverty face in gaining access to food, shelter, employment, education and health services, and which prevent them from enjoying their economic, social and cultural rights on an equal footing with the rest of the population and as part of an inclusive community. 77. The human rights obligation to ensure the satisfaction of, at the very least, minimum essential levels of all economic, social and cultural rights implies a responsibility to secure an adequate standard of living through basic subsistence, including by providing essential primary health care, basic shelter and housing and basic forms of education. Instead of dedicating scarce resources to costly penalization measures, States must direct the maximum available resources towards ensuring that persons living in poverty are able to enjoy all economic, political, social, civil and cultural rights. 78. Urban transformation, privatization, gentrification, beautification and redevelopment can seriously undermine several rights of those living in poverty and contribute to exclusion and stigmatization. As persons living in poverty are gradually pushed to the fringes of urban centres by these phenomena, their ability to access employment and public services and enjoy the right to participate in cultural life is threatened. The concept of adequacy in relation to the right to housing requires, among other elements, that factors such as the availability of services and infrastructure, affordability and accessibility be taken into account. It also requires States to refrain from forced evictions. 79. Public services and social benefits play an integral role in the lives of persons living in poverty, offering important support and assistance, particularly during times of economic and social hardship. While often these benefits are not sufficient to cover the needs of the beneficiaries and their families, they do provide an important form of support to which they are entitled, and without which they would not survive. States must refrain from imposing requirements and conditionalities that stigmatize, stereotype and penalize beneficiaries. Such measures only undermine the essential support that social benefits provide and create further obstacles for persons living in poverty. 11-44449 21