There have been many gains in reducing poverty and inequalities worldwide. However, progress in this area has been uneven within and among countries. Relative income is often used to determine when people are living in poverty but there are other manifestations such as hunger and malnutrition, limited access to education and health services and social exclusion. Thus many people living in poverty experience a number of inequalities. In developing countries it is often women and girls who experience these inequalities to a greater extent. To reduce poverty and all its associated consequences it is necessary to develop policies which are universal and take account of the needs of specific groups of disadvantaged individuals.