Human Development Goals
The United Nations describes human development in the following terms: “Human development is a process of enlarging people’s choices. Enlarging people’s choices is achieved by expanding human capabilities…. At all levels of development the three essential capabilities for human development are for people to lead long and healthy lives, to be knowledgeable and to have a decent standard of living. If these basic capabilities are not achieved, many choices are simply not available and many opportunities remain inaccessible. But the realm of human development goes further: essential areas of choice, highly valued by people, range from political, economic and social opportunities for being creative and productive to enjoying self-respect, empowerment and a sense of belonging to a community.”
Following this definition, UNRWA has identified four human development goals as the focus of the Agency’s operations:
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knowledge and skills
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long and healthy lives
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decent standards of living
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human rights
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