What is the International Day of Happiness? It’s a day to be happy, of course!
Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of
Happiness as a way to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of
people around the world. In 2015 the UN launched 17 Sustainable Development
Goals that seek to end poverty, reduce inequality, and protect our planet –
three key aspects that lead to well-being and happiness.
We are excited to announce that the Smurfs have rallied behind
the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for this year's
International Day of Happiness!
The United Nations invites each person of any age, plus every
classroom, business and government to celebrate the International Day of
Happiness using hashtag #SmallSmurfsBigGoals.
International Day of
Happiness
From Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia
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International Day of Happiness
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International Day of Happiness official logo
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Also called
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Happiness Day
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Observed by
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Type
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United Nations International Resolution
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Celebrations
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Multiple worldwide events
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Date
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Next time
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20 March 2017
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Frequency
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Annual
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The International Day of
Happiness (known as Happiness Day)
is celebrated throughout the world on the 20th of March. The International Day
of Happiness (“Happiness Day”) was founded by United Nations adviser Jayme
Illien on June 28, 2012, when all 193 member states of the United Nations General
Assembly unanimously adopted UN resolution 66/281 The International Day of
Happiness, following a multiyear campaign initiated in 2011 by the Illien Global Public Benefit Corporation.[1]
Assembly Resolution A/RES/66/281 states in
pertinent part:
Balloons of Happiness
The General Assembly,[…]
Conscious that the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal,[…]
Recognizing also the need for a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach
to economic growth that promotes sustainable development, poverty eradication,
happiness and the well-being of all peoples, Decides
to proclaim 20 March the International Day of Happiness, Invites all Member
States, organizations of the United Nations system and other international and
regional organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental
organizations and individuals, to observe the International Day of Happiness in
an appropriate manner, including through education and public awareness-raising
activities[…]
Contents
[hide]
2013 The first International Day of
Happiness was celebrated and launched with Ndaba Mandela, grandson of the late
President of South Africa Nelson Mandela and Chelsea Clinton,
daughter of US President Bill Clinton and US Senator and
Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at the TedXTeen conference in New York,
NY. The United Nations and the United Nations Foundation also held ceremonies and
celebrations.[3]
2014 The second International Day of
Happiness was promoted by Pharrell Williams and the United Nations
Foundation with the world's first 24-hour music video to the song
"Happy". Global citizens around the world were called upon to make
their own music video to the song to make the first ever globally crowdsourced 24 hour global music video .[4]
2015 The third International Day of
Happiness was promoted by Pharrell Williams, the United Nations and the United
Nations Foundation among other global campaigns. Pharrell Williams made a
speech at the United Nations General Assembly where he proclaimed "Happiness
is your birthright" and asked for action on climate change. Google created a home page
takeover which received more than 3.5 billion impressions. Google also
initiated a campaign where Pharrell would pop up at random and dance in their
google hangouts feature.
Founded June 28, 2012 The International Day
of Happiness Resolution 66/281 was the result of the effort of United Nations
adviser Jayme Illien,[5] who conceptualized the
idea for a U.N. Resolution that would recognize the pursuit
of happiness as a human right and a
"fundamental human goal."
Jayme Illien, founder of the International
Day of Happiness, and Illien Global Public Benefit Corporation, gained the
support for the idea of the new International Day of Happiness from the
President of the UN General Assembly and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, as well
as all 193 UN member states to draft and adopt a new UN resolution to create
the new international day, the International Day of Happiness. Jayme Illien
authored UN resolution 66/281 and campaigned for its adoption by consensus of
all 193 member states.[6]
Thirty two years before founding the
International Day of Happiness, Jayme Illien was an orphan rescued from the
streets of Calcutta India by Mother Teresa’s International Mission of Hope
charities. Jayme Illien was later adopted by a then forty five year old single
white American woman named Anna Belle Illien. After agreeing to adopt Jayme,
Anna Belle Illien founded Illien Adoptions International, Inc, a 501 c non for
profit child social welfare and international adoption agency based in Atlanta,
GA.[7]
Jayme Illien served as Adviser to the
United Nations. Jayme Illien is United Nations consultant and representative
for Economists for Peace and Security, a United Nations
ECOSOC accredited NGO with special consultative status. Economists for Peace
and Security achieved notability for exceedingly distinguished and thought
leading economic community. The Economists for Peace and Security Board of
Trustees has seventeen Nobel peace prize laureates in the prize for economics,
including Joseph Stiglitz, Amartya Sen of Harvard
University, Lawrence Klein, Óscar Arias, George Akerlof, Kenneth Arrow, Daniel McFadden, Roger Myerson, Thomas Schelling, William F. Sharpe of Stanford
University, Robert Solow, Franco Modigliani of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sir Clive Granger, Wassily Leontief, Douglass North, Jan Tinbergen, and James Tobin of Harvard
University and Yale University.
Other notable trustees include Former US Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, Former
Prime Minister of Greece George Papandreou,
Former US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.
UN Resolution 66/281: International Day of
Happiness's adoption in 2012 marks a new historical milestone in humankind's
ultimate quest for happiness, which dates back to the time of ancient sages and
philosophers such as Bhudda, Socrates, Confucius, Aristotle, Plato, Epicurus,
Mencius, Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, and religious figures like Jesus, Abraham,
Moses, and the prophet Muhammad – all of whom theorized about the purpose and meaning of life, the
definition of happiness, and how to achieve it.[citation needed]
On April 2, 2012, the United Nations hosted
the first High Level Meeting on Happiness and wellbeing: Defining A New
Economic Paradigm. At this meeting of Heads of State, Ministers and High Level
delegates from over thirty countries and intergovernmental organizations like
the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development, the United Nations Secretary General
Ban Ki moon stated in pertinent that:
“We need a new economic paradigm that
recognizes the parity between the three pillars of sustainable development.
Social, economic and environmental well-being are indivisible. Together they
define gross global happiness,” [8]
This UN resolution marked the modern
historical milestone of globalizing the Happiness Development Movement that
started in 1972.[9]
The resolution also celebrates a modern
legal and constitutional history of humankind which recognizes happiness as a
human right and goal.
The following historical timeline lists
happiness development milestones and international happiness initiatives.
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1972
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Bhutan's King introduced the Gross National
Happiness (GNH) philosophy and its four development pillars at an international
conference.[10]
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2005
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International Institute of Management
introduced second generation GNH (GNH 2.0), the first GNH Index and the first
Global GNH Index Survey [11]
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2006
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The Genuine Progress Indicator was updated from a green
measurement system to a broader concept that included quantitative measurement
of well-being and happiness.[12] The new measure is
motivated by the philosophy of the GNH and the same notion of that subjective
measures like well-being are more relevant and important than more objective
measures like consumption. It is not measured directly, but only
the factors which are believed to lead to it.
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2006 - The International Institute of
Management published a policy white paper calling for the implementation of GNH
philosophy in the US and inviting scholars to build upon the GNH Index
framework.[13]
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2007
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Illien Foundation for Children, Inc.
launches an initiative to find "new economic models and means to reduce
poverty, empower youth, and promote sustainable solutions to human
happiness."[15]
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2009
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In the United States, the Gallup poll
system launched the happiness survey collecting data on national scale.[16] The Gallup Well-Being
Index was modeled after the GNH Index framework of 2005. The Well-Being Index
score is an average of six sub-indexes that measures life evaluation, emotional
health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors, and access to
basic necessities. In October 2009, the USA scored 66.1/100.
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2010
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The Center for Bhutan Studies further
defined the original four pillars with greater specificity into eight general
contributors to happiness—physical, mental and spiritual health; time-balance;
social and community vitality; cultural vitality; education; living standards;
good governance; and ecological vitality. The Bhutan GNH Index.[17]
·
The Oxford Poverty and Human Development
Initiative OPHI at the University of Oxford in UK, launched the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for the United Nations Development Programme, (UNDP).
Similar to the GNH Index of 2005, OPHI promotes collection and analysis of data
on five dimensions including Quality of work, Empowerment, Physical safety,
Ability to go about without shame, Psychological wellbeing.[18]
·
2011
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UN General Assembly Resolution 65/309,
titled "Happiness: towards a holistic approach to development" [19]
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Canadian Index of Wellbeing Network (CIW
Network) releases The Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW) [20]
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A leading Israeli newspaper Haaretz, published
an article suggesting that western GDP economics is an incomplete development
model and called for the adoption of Bhutan's GNH philosophy and Jones' GNH
Index in Israel.[21]
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2012
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A report prepared for the US Congressman
Hansen Clarke, R, Researchers Ben, Beachy and Juston Zorn, at John F. Kennedy School of Government in Harvard
University, recommended that "the Congress should prescribe the
broad parameters of new, carefully designed supplemental national indicators;
it should launch a bipartisan commission of experts to address unresolved
methodological issues, and include alternative indicators." They proposed
that the government can use the survey results to see which well-being
dimensions are least satisfied and which districts and demographic groups are
most deficient, so as to allocate resources accordingly. The report list the
Gross National Happiness Index and its seven measurement area as one of the
main frameworks to consider.[22]
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Professor Peter T. Coleman, a world-renowned director of the
International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia
University, suggested that Jones' GNH Index initiative could inform
the Global
Peace Index Initiative GPI.[23]
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The Government of Goa, India published a strategy for
socioeconomic development citing the GNH Index as a model for measuring
happiness.[25]
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The city of Seattle in Washington, launched
its own happiness index initiative, emphasizing measures similar to the GNH
Index.[26]
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UN Adviser and CEO of Illien Global Public
Benefit Corporation Jayme Illien brings the idea of creating the International
Day of Happiness to the United Nations,[27] drafts UN Resolution
66/281: International Day of Happiness, campaigns for its adoption by consensus
of all 193 UN Member States, and gains support of UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon.
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2014
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In Vietnam, the prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung has ordered by decree to
organize the International Day of Happiness every year across the country.[28]
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HappinessDay.org,[29] the official website of
the International Day of Happiness, managed in partnership with the United
Nations and through the charitable contribution of UN Adviser Jaymen Illien,
who founded the International Day of Happiness and Illien Global Public Benefit
Corporation, has served as a hub and central hosting platform for the
International Day of Happiness resolutions since it was founded in 2012. The
mission of HappinessDay.org is to promote happiness as a fundamental human
right and goal through preserving the values and principles of the UN happiness
resolutions, including happiness as a human right and goal, "Gross Global
Happiness," and the Global Goals for Sustainable Development.
HappinessDay.org manages a year-round continuous campaign into perpetuity with
the sole purpose of serving the public good through promoting Article 2 of UN
Resolution 66/281: International Day of Happiness, which invites all Member
States, international and regional organizations of the United Nations system,
as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations and
individuals, to observe the International Day of Happiness in an appropriate
manner, including through education and public awareness-raising activities.
HappinessDay.org supports the leadership of other charitable organizations,
social media campaigns, NGOs, governments, individuals, partnerships and other
programs to implement the appropriate observance of the International Day of
Happiness.
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Each year since the day's inception the
charity Action for Happiness has coordinated an
international campaign to coincide with day, bringing together a coalition of
over 60 organisations[30] to promote positive
social action to help create a happier and more caring world. In 2015 their
campaign, titled 'YOUR HAPPINESS IS PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER', focuses on the
importance of human connection in the context of the epidemic of loneliness and
isolation in modern societies. Beyond running one of many Day of Happiness websites, they have
organised happiness flash-mobs in 12 cities across the world[31] and promoted the sharing
of positive messages on social media on the hashtag
#internationaldayofhappiness.
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Once again, SpeakHappiness.com is offering two free
workbooks to all visitors: last year's International Day of Happiness workbook,
"One Day of Fluent Happiness" and this year's workbook,
"Happiness in the Workplace Every Day," acknowledging that unhappy
workers cost companies more than $350 Billion a year in lost productivity and
seeking solutions to counter that.[32]
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Happiness 1st Institute vows to celebrate
International Happiness Day by providing free seminars with tips and tools to
increase happiness and awareness of the benefits of happiness each year.
Happiness 1st Institute and the International Society of Happiness
Professionals challenge other happiness professionals to provide free happiness
increasing and awareness information on International Happiness Day in the
spirit of greater happiness for all the worlds people.[33]
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Happy Newcomer Inc. in association with The
Bolivian Center for Research in Positive Psychology have organized a campaign
for the International Day of happiness by developing a web portal where people
can share events and activities planned for this day.[34]
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Happiness International is encouraging
people to make a "Happiness Day Resolution" by choosing one action
supporting their happiness to continue developing over the coming year. To help
people select the best action to match their needs for happiness, they are
offering free access to their science-based online Happiness Planner™.[35]
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Day of Happiness has organized their ACT
campaign asking people to do three things on the International Day of
Happiness: Accept the pledge, Cheer happy heroes, and Take part on the day.[36]
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The Secret Society of Happy
People is offering free
International Happiness Day graphics that can be shared on social networks.
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To celebrate this day and every day, Marilyn Harding, author of Exhilarated Life: Happiness Ever After is giving away copies of
her Happiness 11 handbook for free.
Download your copy here http://www.marilynharding.com/your-free-gifts/
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The purpose of the Day of Happiness Project [37] is to unite happy people
of all nationalities and religions under the umbrella of the non-religious
moral code outlined in The Way to Happiness booklet which includes 21 precepts
like TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, LOVE AND HELP CHILDREN, SET A GOOD EXAMPLE, DO NOT
HARM A PERSON OF GOOD WILL, SAFEGUARD AND IMPROVE YOUR ENVIRONMENT, TRY TO
TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD WANT THEM TO TREAT YOU and many others that will help
you live a happy life. The Day of Happiness Project was founded to support the
United Nations International Day of Happiness, which occurs March 20 of every
year starting in 2013.
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