Traditionally , poverty has been defined in terms of shortfalls of consumption or income. UNDP addresses poverty as a denial of human rights. Good health, adequate nutrition, literacy and employment are not favours or acts of charity to be bestowed on the poor by governments and international agencies. They are human rights, as valid today as they were 50 years ago when the Universal Declaration of Human rights was adopted. UNDP defines poverty from a sustainable human development perspective.
Poverty is the denial of various choices and opportunities basic to human development.
These include the ability to lead a long, creative and healthy life, to acquire knowledge, to have freedom, dignity, self-respect and respect for others, and to have access to the resources needed for a decent standard of living. The Human Development Report 1997 introduced the concept of human poverty with a view to look beyond income poverty. Dimensions of human poverty are rooted in general deprivations such as powerlessness and lack of capabilities. Combined, they provide a composite Human Poverty Index measuring the degree of deprivation in a particular society. Measures of both income and human poverty are needed in combination to capture the complex nature of poverty.