A/HRC/44/46 general comment No. 3 (1990) on the nature of States parties’ obligations of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Special Rapporteur recalls that, while being a flexibility device, the concept of progressive realization obligates States to move as expeditiously and effectively as possible towards the realization of the goals of the Covenant. Moreover, and in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, an adequate standard of living is only effective to the degree that individuals can live a dignified life and participate on equal terms in society at large. The principles and guidelines state that the fulfilment of the right to an adequate standard of living for persons affected and their families entails access to goods, services and infrastructure, but also poverty reduction measures, as well as education and work opportunities, linking an adequate standard of living to autonomy and personal development. A. Social protection 11. Persons affected by leprosy and their families continue to bear the impact of systemic and multilayered discrimination and marginalization, which have positioned them as the furthest behind. Such structural disadvantage calls for protective measures to be implemented, irrespective of contributory scheme or employment status. National policies should establish minimum standards of social protection and benchmarks for persons affected and their family members. 12. According to the Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202), of the International Labour Organization (ILO), States should establish national social protection floors that can ensure income security and universal access to essential health care. In line with article 9 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and general comment No. 19 (2007) on the right to social security of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the principles and guidelines state that financial measures that can guarantee the right to an adequate standard of living, such as benefits for those who cannot work due to age, illness or incapacity, or financial assistance for housing and health care to persons living in poverty, should be made available. According to the Committee, the right to social security may be mandatory for the realization of other social, economic and cultural rights. The Committee therefore recommends that States guarantee access to social security schemes for enabling individuals and families to acquire essential health care, basic shelter and housing, water and sanitation, food and the most basic forms of education. Such access should be non-discriminatory and should take into consideration the special needs of marginalized individuals and groups. An important point made by the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities was that the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was paving the way towards an inclusive conceptualization of social protection that could promote active citizenship, social inclusion and participation, in opposition to paternalistic approaches that reinforced dependence and segregation (see A/70/297). 13. Given the interlinkage of leprosy and poverty, the right to an adequate standard of living may not be accomplished without the prior granting of social benefits under a rightsbased comprehensive social protection policy. Such a policy must be implemented through administrative services and bureaucratic procedures that can guarantee full accessibility to illiterate or poorly educated populations, as well as to populations living in remote or peripheral areas. Furthermore, social benefits, such as unconditional cash transfers, should take into consideration the real needs of the target population, including the additional costs of disability. Such a comprehensive social protection policy should sensitively ponder mainstream and specific programmes and target active citizenship by bridging guarantees to basic income security to policies that promote training opportunities and formal employment B. Work and training opportunities 14. Multilayered discrimination has pushed many persons affected by leprosy and their family members out of formal employment opportunities. A significant number of individuals are left to engage in unreliable casual labour, with low wages, in unsafe and 4