UAE- MoF organises happiness workshop in collaboration with UN Office

ABU DHABI, 4th June, 2016 (WAM) -- The Ministry of Finance, MoF, in collaboration with the UN office in UAE, has organised a workshop on the definition and measurement of happiness; to reflect its commitment to the directives of the federal government. The workshop showcased results of the 2016 Happiness Report, government plans and programmes that enhance levels of happiness and create a positive and inclusive environment as well as workplace. This collaboration comes in line with the existing strong partnership between the Ministry of finance and the UN office with the preparation of the Happiness Report, in which the UAE ranked 28th globally.

The workshop was held in the presence of Younis Haji Al Khoori, Undersecretary of MoF; Frode Mauring, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in the UAE; Khalid Ali Al Bustani, Assistant Undersecretary for International Financial Relations, Musabah Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Assistant Undersecretary for Support Services Sector at MoF; Ali Hamdan Ahmed, Director of the International Financial Organisations Department; Aysha Al Kaabi, UN Programme Analysts Democratic Governance in UNDP UAE; along with a number of employees and heads of departments at the Ministry.

In his opening speech Al Khoori stressed that happiness has always been in the culture of the UAE since its establishment by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who prioritises national well-being and people's welfare as human beings are the bases of every true progress and the UAE's position as a developed country."

Al Khoori added: "The UAE under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces , continues to pursue and enhance this approaches with initiatives and policies that enhances happiness."

Al Khoori highlighted that Happiness is not just a wish in UAE; moreover there are plans and programs. Promoting happiness and positivity at government workplace is a must, because scientific studies show that a happy employee produces twice as much compared to an unhappy one. HE then said: "UAE has achieved great position in the World Happiness Report, the country ranked first place in the region and ranked 28th place on a global level. Our intention is to continue striving for the better, and hopefully by next year we will rank amongst the top happy nations on the globe."

With reference to the 2016 World Happiness Report, the UAE has proved itself by ranking the first happiest country in the region, and ranking 28th happiest country across the globe. The happiness and satisfaction indicators reflect the country's progress which mainly comes as a result of our wise leadership, followed by improving the quality of public services, health and social security along with many other components that help achieving individuals' satisfaction