Through the Millennium Development Goals, the world is addressing the many dimensions of human development, including the halving by 2015 of the proportion of people living in extreme poverty. Developing countries are working to create their own national poverty eradication strategies based on local needs and priorities. UNDP advocates for these nationally-owned solutions and helps ensure their effectiveness. UNDP promotes the concept of human poverty as a complement to income poverty, emphasizing that equity, social inclusion, women's empowerment, and respect for human rights matter for poverty reduction.

UNDP programmes in Croatia target specific needs such as: development of Areas of Special State Concern and reducing interregional differences, support to social policies that target vulnerable social groups in risk of social inclusion and poverty.