Poverty as used in my example is not a relative measure, it’s an absolute measure. You might be thinking of relative poverty which has it’s uses but is by definition “relative”.
Arguments that don’t mention people being better off also miss the wood for the trees. It’s good news, the world is getting better, people are better off. That’s not the same thing as saying we can’t do more - of course we can.
Poverty is decreasing quickly and we can do more, I think these views can go hand in hand.