A new program in the UAE to promote greater happiness in the country has been approved by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid of Dubai, UAE daily The National reported.
The approved program calls for a 100-day plan for happiness and positivity, Sheikh Mohammed announced on Twitter on Monday following a meeting with Ohood al-Roumi, the first-ever Minister for Happiness.
“Today we adopted the National Programme for Happiness and Positivity. Our ultimate goal as a government is for happiness as a way of life,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
The program aims to promote happiness through several initiatives, including happiness in government policies and services; promotion of positivity and happiness as a lifestyle; and development of benchmarks to monitor happiness.
“All government policies, programmes and services must help instill happiness and positivity in society,” said Sheikh Mohammed. “The role of government is to create the suitable environment for individuals, families, employees to be happy and positive.”
The decision last month naming al-Roumi as the country's first happiness minister came as a part of a larger shake-up in the UAE government.
In the 2015 World Happiness Report from the United Nations, the UAE ranked as the 20th happiest country in the world, and the happiest Arab country. Switzerland, Iceland, and Denmark topped the rankings worldwide.
The UN is set to announce its 2016 World Happiness Report on March 16.
