International Day of Happiness

International Day of Happiness

International Day of Happiness official logo
Also called Happiness Day
Observed by All UN Member States
Type United Nations International Resolution
Celebrations Multiple worldwide events
Date 20 March
Next time 20 March 2017 (2017-03-20)
Frequency Annual

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[…]
United Nations General Assembly, Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 28 June 2012[2]

Commemoration by Celebrities, Public Figures, Governmental Organizations

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.

History and Background of the International Day of Happiness

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]

Founder's Background

Thirty two years before founding the International Day of Happiness, Jayme Illien was an orphan rescued from the streets of Calcutta India by Mother Theresa’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.

History of Happiness and Notable Historical Figures

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.

Gross Global Happiness and the First UN High Level Meeting on Happiness and Wellbeing

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.

Stuart Semple Happy Clouds

History of Happiness Development Initiatives

The following historical timeline lists happiness development milestones and international happiness initiatives.

Reception

See also

References

  1. http://www.livehappy.com/practice/happiness-around-world
  2. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 28 June 2012
  3. http://www.livehappy.com/practice/happiness-around-world
  4. http://www.livehappy.com/practice/happiness-around-world
  5. http://www.livehappy.com/practice/happiness-around-world
  6. "Happiness Economics - Well-Being Economics - Historical Milestone - GNH Institute"
  7. "Policy Innovations"
  8. "Happiness Economics Timeline - GNH Institute"
  9. "Beyond GDP Paper | Page 2 | John Talberth, Center for Sustainable Economy 2012 at The European Commission Website"
  10. "Gross National Happiness (GNH) - A New Socioeconomic Development Policy Framework - A Policy White Paper - The American Pursuit of Unhappiness - Med Jones, IIM". Iim-edu.org. 10 January 2005. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  11. [Green and Happiness Index (GHI"
  12. http://www.happinessday.org/timeline/
  13. "University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Social Impact Wiki Tex Book"
  14. "Bhutan GNH Index"
  15. "Economic Focus: A Wealth of Data"
  16. UN Happiness Resolution"
  17. "Canadian Index of Wellbeing"
  18. "Why Ordinary Economic Indicators Do Not Tell The Whole Truth, Haaretz, Israel"
  19. "National Indicators for a New Era, Ben, Beachy and Juston Zorn, of the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University"
  20. "The Missing Piece in- Sustainable Peace, Professor Peter T. Coleman, professor of psychology and education at Columbia University"
  21. "South Korea Happiness Index"
  22. "Goa 2035 Vision, page 111"
  23. "Seattle Happiness Initiative"
  24. http://www.livehappy.com/practice/happiness-around-world
  25. Quyết định 2589/QĐ-TTg năm 2013 phê duyệt Đề án “Tổ chức hoạt động nhân ngày Quốc tế Hạnh phúc 20 tháng 3 hằng năm” do Thủ tướng Chính phủ ban hành
  26. http://www.happinessday.org
  27. Partners — International Day of Happiness
  28. Happtivist HQ
  29. Secrets Of America's Happiest Companies | Fast Company | Business + Innovation
  30. Home - Happiness 1st Institute
  31. http://internationalhappinessday.net/
  32. Have You Made Your Happiness Day Resolution? - Happiness International
  33. International Day of Happiness
  34. Day of, Happiness (2014-10-28). "Day of Happiness". Day of Happiness. Day of Happiness. Retrieved 2014-10-28.

External links

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