This publication forms part of the United Nations’ efforts to integrate human rights into its work. It argues that attention to human rights helps to ensure that the concerns of poor people are central to the formulation of Poverty Reduction Strategies. The publication presents a human rights approach to poverty reduction, which includes empowerment and participation; recognition of the national and international human rights framework; accountability; nondiscrimination and equality and progressive realization. The publication explains that a human rights approach to poverty is fundamentally about empowering the poor. While poverty may be defined as the absence of only some human rights, an effective anti-poverty strategy would have to address a wider range of human rights. For these rights to be realized, certain frameworks must be in place, to ensure that poverty reduction becomes a legal obligation and not charity or a moral obligation. The publication elaborates on this framework.