GLOBALISATION NEEDS A HAPPY HUMAN FACE
It was a certain philosopher Aristotle who once said “happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence” and this is as relevant today, as it was in Ancient Greece.
Last week the World Happiness Report 2018 was published. The landmark survey of the state of global happiness ranks 156 countries by their happiness levels, and 117 countries by the happiness of their immigrants.
Finland was named the world’s happiest country, rising from fifth place last year to oust Norway from the number one spot. The UAE was ranked 20th, moving up one place from last year.
But what does that mean for us? How can we leverage the findings of these reports? And how can we work together to drive happiness and build societies around the world in which people can live a full life of dignity and well-being?
These are big questions granted but to help us answer them, I sought the expert advice!
Last week there was a great online discussion between Prof. Dr. John Ruggie (Professor of International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government; and an Affiliated Professor in International Legal Studies at Harvard Law School) and Ms. Lise Kingo (Chief Executive Officer of the United Nations Global Compact).
The two discussed how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve as a lighthouse to us all how to achieve a better world, a peaceful world and a world that embraces social equality. The world, according to them, should be on based on values and principles but critically, driven by behaviour.
When the Global Compact was founded in 1999 by the Secretary-General Kofi Annan he called on business leaders to initiate a “Global Compact” of shared values and principles. He sought to give a human face to the global market as the world faced a crisis in confidence. These principles have never been more relevant than they are today.
So on International Day of Happiness, I invite you all to share how you as a citizen, and you as a professional, plan to drive the Happiness Agenda forward.
Every small initiative matters and we should do whatever we can to connect initiatives as a means of building a positive impact with practical implications.
At DMCC, our dedicated internal CSR team is working hard to promote the SDG agenda and align our core business objectives. I am proud that a core team across the departments has been trained in the Global Reporting Initiative.
We know there is a big task ahead of us to but we are working closely with our stakeholders and are very confident we can make a real difference.
I suppose, that’s the starting point for all of us. Let us embrace Purpose in everything we do.