International Day of Happiness/The UAE is a sustainable commitment to enhancing stability and quality of life

Abu Dhabi, 19 March / WAM / Tomorrow, the UAE will celebrate the “International Day of Happiness”, which falls on March 20 of each year, in light of its continued success in enhancing feelings of reassurance and happiness in the hearts of its population, both citizens and residents, and consolidating its position as a global model for societal stability and spreading a positive spirit.

The UAE is proving day after day that it is a model of care and sustainable stability, and that achieving happiness for all its residents is a top priority, translated into a wide range of procedures and measures that enhance the safety and health of members of society, and maintain the continuity and quality of all services provided to them, in addition to ensuring the highest levels of social and economic stability for them and their families, which has contributed to the state of reassurance and calm that has characterized Emirati society over decades.

The Emirati care for the happiness of community members is not limited to the economic, health, and service aspects, but rather extends to include community psychological support through initiatives and programs that enhance the positive spirit among community members and strengthen the bonds of cohesion and solidarity among them.

The occasion gains special importance this year in the UAE as it coincides with the “Year of the Family,” which, with its set of goals, programs and initiatives, represents a road map towards a happier and more stable family life, based on it being the basic pillar on which a strong and prosperous society is built.

Over the past years, the UAE has launched many government initiatives and various activities aimed at achieving community happiness. In 2016, it announced the creation of the position of Minister of State for Happiness, and after amending the ministerial formation in October 2017, a new ministerial portfolio was added for the position of Minister of State for Happiness to become Minister of State for Happiness and Quality of Life. During the ministerial reshuffle in July 2020, the file of Quality of Life and Happiness was transferred to the Ministry of Community Empowerment.

The Council of Ministers approved the National Charter for Happiness and Positivity, which stipulates the commitment of the UAE government, through its higher policies, plans, projects and services of all government agencies, to creating the appropriate environment for the happiness of the individual, family and society, and to establish positivity as a basic value in them, enabling them to achieve themselves and their ambitions.

The UAE implemented the National Happiness and Positivity Survey, with the aim of measuring the levels of happiness and positivity in the country, and identifying society’s priorities and sources of happiness for its various segments.

The UAE joined the Global Alliance for Happiness and Wellbeing, which was launched on February 12, 2018, and included ministers from 6 countries: the UAE, Portugal, Costa Rica, Mexico, Kazakhstan, and Slovenia. The launch of the alliance came in the wake of the momentum achieved by the Global Dialogue for Happiness and Wellbeing, which was held on the eve of the World Government Summit in its sixth session.

In 2019, the Cabinet adopted the National Strategy for Quality of Life – 2031, which aims to make the UAE a global leader in the field of quality of life, and enhance its position to be the happiest country in the world.

The strategy is based on a national framework that includes three main levels: “individuals, society, and the state,” and includes 14 axes and 9 strategic objectives that include enhancing individuals’ lifestyle by encouraging the adoption of a healthy lifestyle, promoting good mental health, adopting positive thinking as a basic value, and building life skills.

International reports specializing in measuring the level of happiness of the peoples of countries are based on several indicators, most notably security and stability, the level of individual income, the level of satisfaction with health and educational services, in addition to the natural environment, which has come to play a prominent role in raising the level of happiness and quality of life among individuals.

For years, the UAE has maintained its upward trend in the results achieved at the level of the aforementioned indicators. Today, the UAE is at the forefront of countries in terms of security and stability, and its capital, Abu Dhabi, was crowned the safest city in the world for the tenth year in a row in 2026, according to the “Numbio” global index.

The UAE maintains its classification as one of the highest countries in terms of per capita GDP in the world, according to World Bank estimates, while S&P Global Ratings, this March, affirmed the UAE’s sovereign credit rating at “AA/A-1+” for both local and foreign currencies, with a stable future outlook, confirming the strength of the country’s financial and economic foundations and its ability to confront regional challenges.

The UAE is a leading model in the world in providing distinguished health and educational services to its citizens, as the country occupies advanced positions within the indicators of the World Health Organization, possesses an advanced network of hospitals and modern medical centers, and applies the latest technologies in diagnosis and treatment, which enhances citizens’ sense of health security in all circumstances.

In the field of education, the UAE has made significant progress in global education rankings, such as topping the quality indicators of basic and university education in the region, while providing advanced educational environments that include smart schools and international universities, ensuring the building of a generation capable of facing the challenges of the future.

The UAE continues to develop a system of technological and logistical services aimed at facilitating people’s lives and shortening their time, through a set of innovative and distinctive procedures of high quality, which view the human being as capable of contributing to the development process and serving the state, as long as he is happy and enjoys well-being.

• For more: Follow Khaleejion 24 Arabic, Khaleejion 24 English, Khaleejion 24 Live, and for social media follow us on Facebook and Twitter