‘Governments’ role is to help people achieve their dreams’

Dubai / WAM
The role of governments is to create an enabling environment where people can flourish and achieve their dreams, stated Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, UAE Minister of State for Happiness.
Laying the groundwork for a free exchange of ideas among experts from around the world, the Minister invited delegates to assemble at different tables to discuss the theme of their choice and its relationship with happiness. Over 75 attendees joined the discussions, forming communities that exchanged ideas and best practices related to 10 topics – Public Policy and Happiness, Health and Happiness, Organisational Happiness, Governing Happiness, Personal Happiness, Education and Happiness, Measuring Happiness, Sustainability and Happiness, Future of Happiness, and Happy Cities.
Vanessa King, a board member at Action for Happiness, a UK-based social movement, which participated in the Organisational Happiness community, found the session interesting because it brought together different viewpoints from around the world. She said, “We covered everything from the happiness macro and educating shareholders in terms of thinking about workplace happiness as investors to the role of governments as workplaces and how to get governments to engage with businesses and organisations – both large and small.”
King added, “Most people are involved in small businesses, but how do we get them to share the governments’ vision and realise the extent of their responsibility, whether they are a private or a public sector organisation?” King leads psychology and workplace happiness at Action for Happiness, where she has studied the role of governments and organisations in creating happy workplaces.