These Guidelines, developed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), are intended "to provide legal interpretative guidance for governments, legal practitioners, decision-makers and the judiciary as well as UNHCR staff carrying out refugee status determination in the field." The guidelines begin with the non-legal definition of gender-related persecution, review the historical background of interpreting refugee law in light of gender and outline circumstances potentially amounting to a well-founded fear of persecution.