In a world dominated by many coalitions born of political exigencies, it is a mark of UAE’s visionary strength that it has spearheaded a coalition of nations based on the principles of promoting happiness as a global imperative. The launch of the Global Happiness Coalition at the World Government Summit saw six countries — UAE, Costa Rica, Mexico, Portugal, Kazakhstan and Slovenia — pledging to pursue the dissemination of the principles of happiness to shape better societies and nurture more attuned governments around the world. The coalition is tasked with bolstering dialogue on happiness on a global scale, spreading knowledge and exchanging expertise on the implementation of policies pertaining to happiness in member-countries and carrying out joint projects to support the efforts of member-nations.
This endeavour distinguishes itself for a new daring — to introduce what is a fundamental requirement of the human condition as an instrument of formal policy.
This bold move serves many purposes: It, first of all, reinstates happiness as a social priority, an act that is critically necessary because happiness as a policy for societies and governments has long been relegated to a theoretical non-starter rather than being a constant, practical pursuit. Second, by its very nature, the Global Happiness Coalition revives the tired imaginations of countries too busy chasing goals divergent from the happiness of their people. Third, it proves to the world that improving the human lot is not an esoteric science; all it takes is a return to simple truths — as the UAE has demonstrated.
The UAE’s irrevocable emphasis on happiness as a core value for its people is proving to be a catalyst that augurs well for the fraternity of nations.
