If the Covenant were to be read in such a way as not to establish such a
minimum core obligation, it would be largely deprived of its raison d'être. By the same
token, it must be noted that any assessment as to whether a State has discharged its
minimum core obligation must also take account of resource constraints applying
within the country concerned. Article 2 (1) obligates each State party to take the necessary steps «to the maximum of its available resources».