Dubai
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) constitute a ‘happiness pyramid’ of spiritual, ecological and people-centred objectives, said Bambang Brodjonegoro, Minister of National Development Planning for Indonesia, in Dubai on Saturday.
His comments came during a morning session at the Global Dialogue for Happiness, ahead of the sixth World Government Summit (WGS 2018) in Dubai.
Pointing out that Indonesia ranks as one of the happiest countries on the planet – currently sitting at 16th place on the Happy Planet Index score, Brodjonegoro explained how the 17 SDGs launched by the UN and adopted by 193 countries could help transform the world by offering a tangible guide to achieving contentment and well-being in people’s daily lives.
He said: “The SDGs are about uniting diverse cultures, faiths, sectors of government, business and civil society. As we sense the upcoming future in these goals, what emerges is the reflection of cultural and spiritual philosophies that have guided the lives of many communities around the world. The universal theme of this narrative is securing the happiness, balance, and harmony of human beings within three realms — spiritual, ecological and social.”
He added: “Indonesia has five basic principles — Religion, Humanity, Unity, Democracy and Social Justice — that are aligned to the SDGs and the values of the Indonesian community. We have produced our own Happiness Index based on three categories: Life Satisfaction Dimension; Feeling Dimension, and the Meaning of Life Dimension”.
The Global Dialogue for Happiness serves as a curtain raiser to the World Government Summit in 2018.
