Meet the first Minister of Happiness in the world

minister of happiness: Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi (left)

Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi is the minister of happiness for the United Arab Emirates, a role that was created a year ago when she was among five women appointed to the Persian Gulf nation's 29-member Cabinet (bringing the number of female ministers to eight).

She is the brainchild of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and the ruler of Dubai. Her position is to promote happiness and a positive attitude in government, and life.

During an interview in Dubai, one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE, She said "What is the purpose of government if it does not work toward the happiness of the people? It's the duty and role of the government to create the right conditions for people to choose to be happy."

Those conditions include creating an environment in which people feel empowered, and providing sound infrastructure, opportunities for a good education, jobs and health care, and ensuring that people feel safe and secure, Roumi said.

"We have no intention as a government to impose happiness, or mandate it, or force it," she added. "We're just doing the right thing for our people ... so they can have a better life."

The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has led the way since the early 1970s, when it instituted a Gross National Happiness Index, which measures happiness based on psychological well-being.

The United Nations has called on member states to place more emphasis on happiness as a measurement for social and economic development. The organization now publishes a World Happiness Report and recently published its fourth edition, which ranks 157 countries from happiest (Denmark) to least happy (Burundi).

The UAE, an oil-rich nation of 9 million, ranks 28th on that list; the United States is No. 13.

"Happiness is of interest right now, because there is better and better evidence that it can be meaningfully measured and meaningfully affected," said Jeffrey Sachs, director of the center for sustainable development at Columbia University's Earth Institute and a co-author of the happiness report.

Roumi is believed to be the first minister of happiness in the world, and certainly in the Middle East, a region racked by violence and often more associated with anguish than joy.

"Some people may laugh at the idea, thinking it is silly and fluffy," she said. "I assure you, it's a science. It touches on medicine, health, social sciences. We're trying to bring it from a broad framework into a daily practice in our society."

During the last year, Roumi said, at least 70 people contacted her via the mobile messaging app WhatsApp or calls to her office. "Most of them are complaints about government services," Roumi said. "Sometimes they think I am the complaints officer for the government, which is not my role. But I help."

Where possible, her office puts people in touch with the appropriate government entity. Other times, Roumi picks up the phone and handles the query herself. She called the woman who wanted help in getting her parents to accept her husband. "I told her, 'You need to convince them,'" Roumi said. "This is your life. I'm sorry, I would love to help, but this is not part of my scope."

"When we talk about happiness, I don't refer to pleasures or momentary feelings," she said. "It's the authentic, long-term happiness."

Roumi is the second of seven siblings, six of them girls. Her father, Mohammed Roumi, served in government for two decades in various roles, including three Cabinet positions.

When her position was first announced, critics most notably outside the country accused the UAE government of hypocrisy, given accusations about its poor human rights record at home and its involvement in regional conflicts, such as Yemen.

With a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's in public administration, she joined the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry; in 2012 she made the list of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders under 40.

She was chosen to join a program that trains future government leaders. She landed a job as head of economic policy in the prime minister's executive office, and then was told in February 2016 that she was being appointed to the Cabinet.

Content to serve in any capacity, she didn't ask which role she was to assume. Roumi admitted to being a little befuddled when she learned she was to serve as happiness minister.

She launched a survey to measure how employees feel about their work environment. She introduced online "happiness meters" in city offices, where people can record their satisfaction by clicking on emojis, including a smiley face, a neutral expression and a downturned mouth. She conducted a national happiness survey, the results of which are still being reviewed and compiled.

She introduced a "100 days of positivity" campaign, in which students, teachers and administrators take a pledge to practice positive behavior.

She sent 60 "Chief Happiness and Positivity Officers" to the Haas School of Business and the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley and to Oxford University's Mindfulness Center and the What Works Center for Wellbeing in the U.K., to be trained in how to create a more positive workforce and, ultimately, a more joyful nation.

The highlight of Roumi's first year came last month when she organized a global dialogue on happiness as part of the annual World Government Summit in Dubai.

photo: Associated Press

my opinion

i think this is a very good idea to make a woman minister of happiness. being a woman herself, it will help her to look into the issues that bothers women. congratulations to her