The statement, issued ahead of International Human Rights Day on 10 December, recalled that the right to a dignified life was one of the fundamental human rights, alongside the right to food, basic health care, education, work and protection from discrimination as defined by the Convention on Human Rights.
Human rights are endangered whenever and wherever a man, a woman or a child lives in extreme poverty, the statement said.
According to an October 2006 government report, 16.7 per cent of Croatian citizens lived in households with a net parity income below the poverty risk threshold as defined in Croatia in 2004 -- an annual 43,499 kuna for two adults with two children.
The poverty risk rate was higher among women (18.1 per cent) and the highest among persons aged 65 and above (29.5 per cent).
The statement said 223 million kuna is necessary to reduce relative poverty by 2015, which is the first Millennium Development Goal. According to a UNDP regional report, Croatia is on a good path to meet this goal.
The total amount Croatia needs to meet all national Millennium Development Goals by 2015 is estimated at 788 million kuna.
(EUR1 = 7.35 kuna)