Happiness for the entire human family is one of the main goals of the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared, as the Organization kicked-off its global celebrations marking the annual observance of the International Day of Happiness.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeace, prosperity, lives of dignity for all \u2013 this is what we seek. We want all men, women and children to enjoy all their human rights. We want all countries to know the pleasure of peace,\u201d the Secretary-General said in his message for the Day<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want people and planet alike to be blessed with sustainable development, and to be spared the catastrophic impacts of climate change.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In April 2012, the UN held a high-level meeting on \u201cHappiness and Well-Being: Defining a New Economic Paradigm\u201d at the initiative of Bhutan, a country which recognized the supremacy of national happiness over national income since the early 1970s and famously adopted the goal of Gross National Happiness over Gross National Product (GDP).<\/p>\n