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Through an Alliance Promoting Building Up the Future and Improves Welfare Ministers and Experts: UAE Draws Roadmap for the World’s Happiness

​Image: DSC logo

​Image: DSC logo

 A Theme

"The role of governments in building society is closely linked to the people's happiness," said Dirar Belhoul Al Falasi, Director General of Watani Al Emarat Foundation. He added: "UAE has presented a model during the 6th session of the World Government Summit that witnessed launching the World Alliance of Happiness based on a wholly new concept that makes happiness a major theme in the relationships among nations and a tool to measure government work and its impact on people's welfare."

"Furthermore, this alliance adopts ingenious experiences in happiness as an approach of the government work in all its various sectors. This enhances aspects of giving and creativity, especially that happiness and the positive environment are closely related to increasing productivity levels and motivating employees to innovate and compete among themselves," said he. Belhoul stressed that happiness government becomes a major request for governments looking to build a better future for its people that ensures realizing the happiness of society and the superiority of its government.

 

"Brand"

Dr. Mohammed Murad Abdullah, Advisor to the Deputy Chief of Police and Public Security in Dubai for Visioning the Future, said: "Happiness in UAE has become more like a brand, trademark or an intellectual property belong to UAE which has already provided the world with a unique and pioneering experience in this approach or trend." He emphasized: "Other countries should make the most of this experience to reach the best levels of harmony, integrity and cohesion between the people and its government."

Dr. Abdullah stated: "International Alliance of Happiness which was announced to be established from here in UAE will have a great impact on nations and will be the major topic of their dialogues and tendencies, given that UAE government has already preceded governments of the whole world by establishing a ministry of happiness and setting up a flawless methodology, plans and programs to realize happiness in all aspects of life. This has reflected on UAE people who became the happiest people with highest levels of security, stability, satisfaction and conviction."

He expressed his optimism by this initiative as numerous countries has become members of this alliance which he is so sure "It will make a difference in the lives of people for it is a civil and humanitarian project and that happiness means satisfaction, respect for the rule of law and a sense of stability, at a time no one could deny that the sense of happiness needs fulfilling obligations by the governments that are planning to join this alliance and to adopt other methodologies and tools."

"The sense of happiness is not exclusive to rich countries! If any country has developed vibrant plans and programs to achieve happiness, this country will undoubtedly achieve it because the issue is more linked to the will of the leaders of nations and their firmness on achieving happiness for their people even if it is in the long term," added he. He concluded: "I believe this step in this direction is an achievement for countries that have an intention to adopt the happiness theme in their national agendas and strategies."

 

One Team

Sami Abdullah Gargash, Executive Director of the Mohammed bin Rashid Housing Establishment, said: "The alliance will lead the governments of the world to work together in the spirit of one team to create initiatives and cooperate in their implementation to make the people of the world happy. This will be a burden on the shoulders of young governments and to strive hard to make the whole world speaks on sustainable language whose major theme is happiness."     

He further explained: "The Mohammed bin Rashid Housing Establishment has its own team of happiness and a happiness champ whose task is to create initiatives to make employees happy and to examine the challenges facing achieving happiness and find innovative solutions in this area."

 

Vision

In his turn, Tariq Al Janahi, Deputy Executive Director of Dubai Statistics Center and CEO of Happiness and Positivity, said: "The Global Alliance reflects the vision of UAE in making humanity happy and serving the human kind, besides presenting a road map or a global framework to realize happiness in societies."

Al Janahi underlined: "UAE is the first to adopt the concept of happiness at the level of government in both words and deeds." He pointed out: "UAE has already commenced transferring this concept to the world countries and provide a valuable experience which is rich in new vocabulary formulated to make its nation happy and to be in line with visions and aspirations of other nations looking for happiness in various aspects of life." Al Janahi emphasized: "This is what history will always cherish for the UAE by being pioneer in adopting this smart step to share others its successful experiences in the field of happiness that widely acknowledged by everyone and residents and visitors of the State.

He concluded: "UAE's experience in happiness is not limited to the government work environment but exceeded that to the level of school and homes. Today, we have ambassadors of happiness and executive managers working to promote the culture of happiness in various walks of life in society."

 

Global Experts: A New Concept in Government Work Positively Enhances Performance

Global experts confirmed that happiness is a new concept for governments that enhances productivity and positive work and increase performance. This is definitely reflected positively on employees, clients and members of society.

Dr. Daniela Rosso, Director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology stated: "It is amazing that people think about helping others, and that these goals or desires are key indicators of performance, because simply happy people are healthy and therefore better residents of any country where they live or visiting them and surely they are more effective."

She stressed that happiness importance and of measuring it among the citizens of any country will be reflected positively on the societies. She stated: "The various programs that governments focus on achieving them aim to formulate a new future for everyone, and so that individual will have an influence on people in direct contact with him/her to be more productive and more effective. Indeed, here comes the role of the World Alliance of Happiness."

Dr. Rosso pointed out that governments should also focus on older citizens by developing new indicators for them so that they care for their lives even after retirement. She further explained: "These plans must include new goals for older people, and how to make use of their experience in fields convenient to them. Definitely, we cannot rely on the private sector only in this matter but this must be part of governments work around the world."

Chairman of Nimeo Foundation, Qian Lon Wong stressed that the concept of happiness is new to governments around the world. "Unfortunately, the vast majority of the world's population is suffering from many life-threatening psychological problems which can be resolved in a timely manner by adopting policies of happiness which countries have to adopt."

He pointed out: "The numerous problems experienced by countries of the world are resulting from the steady increase in population and levels of tension they suffer from." He explained the role of happiness to sort out this issue by saying: "Here comes the role of the principle of happiness for all by forming a special alliance for happiness of their own and a community that communicates with these governments to spread happiness." He added: "A number of emerging countries also suffer from several conflicts and wars that threaten the levels of development and economy. There should be a unified council to consider how to help them under these variables."

Jesse Boyle, President of Cracow Digital Currency Exchange, stated: "Giving people great opportunities in life is the most important step towards achieving happiness. Unquestionably, governments should give their citizens the opportunity to give more not through incessant intervention but by giving them greater freedoms since they do not hurt anyone." He stressed: "with regard to digital currencies, I hope there will not be many laws restricting dealing and trading them."

He indicated: "Governments have an immense role to play in helping small and medium-sized enterprises to grow up. Through such an assistance, the owners of these enterprises will have a new ideas to help others. Of course, this is all attributed to happiness policies adopted by governments around the world." He went on to say: "Governments need to ensure that their citizens have the right opportunities to be able to experience a happy life and then be able to give more."

 

A Science to be Taught

Prof. Dennis Dutty, a clinical professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University in the United States of America and founder of the Happiness Center at the University, stated: "In civilized societies, we see a large number of people who suffere from despair, sadness, and depression in conjunction with their sense of loneliness and unhappiness." He added: "Today, we are all well aware that happiness is a science taught and has its own curricula. As we are approaching this science, we have also discovered that it is unfortunate that civilized societies distance people from each other instead of bringing them together. Therefore, when we share what we have learned about happiness, this science surprises and attracts me more and more constantly. I can say that results will enable us to make people closer than ever."

He pointed out: "When people come closer to each other and develop intimacy and friendship among them, this will generate a kind of confidence and safety. Once appreciation and safety exist, many people begin to feel happy and experience psychological comfort," said he while stressing at the same time that people should know very well the fact that the social or practical status of the person is not the source of happiness. "They might contribute to it, but they are not the source of happiness. Happiness arises from within, i.e. from within the individual in his satisfaction about himself and his surroundings and the extent of his giving to others and helping them. This is indeed is what we consider the basis of happiness."

 

 

Outputs

Jihad Al Khazen, a writer in Al Hayat Newspaper, said: "I am a good observer of all the activities of the World Government Summit since its inception and I believe that its outputs should be circulated at the level of governments." He appreciated the decision to launch the World Happiness Alliance especially in countries experiencing political unrest.

He added: "The alliance will make the Summit's conclusions and outputs accessible to countries that in need for them and suffer from the rule of a dictatorship to be able to implement them." He pointed out that the Summit attracts experts with a high level of expertise and specialties in governmental areas.

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