Brilio.net/en - If youre looking for a new job, maybe its time you follow suit and petition your local government to become a Minister of Happiness. While a surprising title, it was announced on Monday February 15th that the United Arab Emirates have a new minister, a Minister of Happiness. - Ohood Al Roumi
Its a new role for the Middle Eastern country, but not a new role globally. In 2013, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced the creation of a new"vice ministry of supreme socialhappiness." According to Rafael Rios, the newly appointed vice minister for happiness, the idea was founded on the theories of Latin American liberator Simon Bolivar, who had said that the ideal government would create the greatest amount of human happiness. Ecuador also implemented a similar policy, which involved former TV personality and tourism minister Freddy Ehlers as the state secretary of buen vivir, roughly translating to the state of well-being. Ehlers eventually ended up implementing certain programs that one could argue increased happiness, like meditation classes for schoolchildren and improved food labeling based on health values.
Bhutan, the closed of Himalayan country, measures its national wealth not by the standard GDP but rather by a Gross National Happiness index, thereby placing economic activity on the backburner.
On Twitter,Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai,said that the happiness minister positionwould "align and drive government policy to create social good and satisfaction." Twitter followers responded with the hashtag #If_you_were_the_happiness_minister, which in many cases ridiculed the new position.
Ohood Al Roumi as Minister of State for Happiness. She remains responsible as DG of the Prime Ministers Office. pic.twitter.com/1Omrzc9b8F
HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) February 10, 2016
The decisions from the Sheik came after he stated that he wanted to focus on "the future, youth, happiness, developing education, and combating climate change. Al Roumi will be joined by a new minister of tolerance, Sheikha Lubna bint Khaled al Qasimi, previously the minister of foreign trade, who became the UAE's first female minister in 2004.Also joining their ranks will be Shamma AlMazrui, 22, the new minister of youth affairs.
According to the United Nations World Happiness Report, the United Arab Emirates is quite far high on the list, ranking at 20th for happiest nation in the world. Lets hope they have more luck than Venezuela had in 2013, when it dropped from 20th place to 23rd place after implementing a Happiness Minister.