The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Happiness is annually observed across the globe on 20th March to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world.
The day recognises that the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal.
- As per United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), the theme of International Day of Happiness 2022 is “Build Back Happier”.
- According to happinessday.org, the official campaign of the International Day of Happiness is “Happiness For All, Ukraine”.
Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/66/281 on 28th June 2012 and proclaimed the 20th March of every year as the International Day of Happiness.
ii.The first-ever International Day of Happiness was observed on 20th March 2013.
Note:
i.The resolution was initiated by Bhutan, which recognized the value of national happiness over national income since the early 1970s and famously adopted the goal of Gross National Happiness over Gross National Product.
ii.Bhutan also hosted the High-Level Meeting on “Happiness and Well-Being: Defining a New Economic Paradigm” during the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly.
Efforts of UN:
The UN launched the 17 Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs), which aims to end poverty, reduce inequality, and protect our planet, the three key aspects which will lead to well-being and happiness.
2022 World Happiness Report:
i.On 18th March 2022, the UN released the 2022 World Happiness Report, the 10th-anniversary edition of the World Happiness Report.
ii.The 2022 report features the ranking of happiness based on a 3 year average 2019-2021. According to the ranking, Finland is ranked no 1 followed by Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and Netherlands.
iii.India has ranked 136 on the list with an average life evaluation of 3.777.
