Twitter Instagram Facebook Linkedin Youtube
GET INVOLVED

Welcome to The World Happiness Foundation’s Public Policy Forum

"We need to work together at a systemic level to create the necessary change"

Growing inequalities, lost diversity, pandemics, and climate change are only some of the serious challenges facing humanity in the coming decades. All of these crises are interconnected and we cannot confront them in isolation. Our current economic systems are failing to foster a productive and healthy balance between societal, individual, and environmental needs and goals.

That is why we support the leaders from governments and organizations that are disrupting current systems by implementing new policies and initiatives that are advancing the dialogue on creating economies of happiness and well-being for all.

In Partnership with the United Nations University for Peace

The Foundation stewards two UN resolutions:

The Foundation specifically stewards two UN resolutions:

UN RESOLUTION 65/309

Happiness: Towards a Holistic Approach to Development

Download resolution

UN RESOLUTION 66/281

International Day
of Happiness

Download resolution

We Support Global Political Initiatives

All of our work supports the UN Global Compact and many of the Sustainable Development Goals

We bring together the world leaders and experts on Public Policy across multiple disciplines such as Health Care, Education, Environment, Economy, Psychology, Business, Research, Statistics, and the United Nations 2030 agenda to breakdown silos and to improve the overall happiness and well-being of all beings.

We bring a holistic approach incorporating view from the leading institutions and the professionals behind the latest research and policies around the world.

We help advance the dialogue on Public Policy towards an Economy of Happiness and Well-Being.

GLOBAL HAPPINESS AND WELL-BEING POLICY REPORT

The 2019 Global Happiness and Well-Being Policy Report is produced by the Global Happiness Council (GHC) and contains papers by expert working groups on happiness for good governance. This report provides evidence and policy recommendations on best practices to promote happiness and well-being. The 2019 Global Happiness and Well-Being Policy Report was presented at World Government Summit held in Dubai on February 10, 2019.

WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT

The World Happiness Report is a landmark survey of the state of global happiness that ranks 156 countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be. The report is produced by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network in partnership with the Ernesto Illy Foundation. The World Happiness Report was written by a group of independent experts acting in their personal capacities. Any views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization, agency or program of the United Nations.

OECD BETTER LIFE INDEX

How is LIFE? There is more to life than the cold numbers of GDP and economic statistics – This Index allows you to compare well-being across countries, based on 11 topics the OECD has identified as essential, in the areas of material living conditions and quality of life.

HAPPY PLANET INDEX

The Happy Planet Index measures what matters: sustainable wellbeing for all. It tells us how well nations are doing at achieving long, happy, sustainable lives. Wealthy Western countries, often seen as the standard of success, do not rank highly on the Happy Planet Index. Instead, several countries in Latin America and the Asia Pacific region lead the way by achieving high life expectancy and wellbeing with much smaller Ecological Footprints. The Happy Planet Index provides a compass to guide nations, and shows that it is possible to live good lives without costing the Earth.

Join our World Happiness & Well-Being Public Policy Forum at the World Happiness Fest.

Gross National Happiness, or GNH, is a holistic and sustainable approach to development, which balances material and non-material values with the conviction that humans want to search for happiness. The objective of GNH is to achieve a balanced development in all facets of life that are essential; for our happiness.

We are in the age of the Anthropocene when the fate of the planet and all life is within the power of mankind. Boundless consumerism, widening socio-economic inequality and instability is causing rapid natura resource depletion and degradation. Climate change, species extinction, multiple crises, growing insecurity, instability and conflicts are not only diminishing our well-being but are also threatening our very survival.

Today, it is inconceivable for modern society to function without the business of commerce, finance, industry or trade. These very factors are altering human destiny by the day in extraordinary ways, both positive and negative. GNH directly addresses such global, national and individual challenges by pointing to the non-material roots of well-being and offering ways to balance and satisfy the dual needs of the human being within the limits of what nature can provide on a sustainable basis.

Join us

The Economy of Happiness and Well-Being

We support the emergence of new economic paradigms

Growing inequalities, lost diversity, pandemics, and climate change are only some of the serious challenges that humanity faces in the coming decades. All of these crises are interconnected, and we cannot confront them in isolation. Our current economic systems are not designed to deliver a balanced approach to social and environmental initiatives. World Happiness Foundation Founder, Luis Gallardo addresses these issues in his report on The Economy of Happiness and Well-Being.

An economy is a collection of norms and rules that reward certain behaviors and punish others. The economies of the 21st century destroy natural wealth, degrade communal bonds, and incentivize overconsumption. This is how our economies have evolved to function, which also means that we can change them and evolve in new directions. It is time we think about how.

Download report

Happytalism, Key to (Re)connection

10 Billion Happy by 2050

Introduction: The World Happiness Foundation’s 10 Billion Happy Vision by 2050

Luis Gallardo

The World Happiness Foundation (WHF) has set a bold overarching vision: “10 Billion Happy by 2050,” meaning essentially the happiness of all humanity by mid-century. This vision is rooted in three core pillars defined in WHF’s 2026–2028 Strategic Plan: Fundamental Peace, Supra-Consciousness, and Happiness for All. In practice, Fundamental Peace refers to cultivating inner freedom, healing trauma, and fostering a state of being characterized by freedom, awareness, and joy – peace from the inside out. Supra-Consciousness means an elevation of collective awareness and compassion, a kind of global mindfulness where humanity awakens to our interdependence and higher values. Happiness for All envisions an inclusive world that makes well-being a universal human right – social systems and policies are oriented so that every person can thrive physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. These three aspirations reinforce one another: as individuals heal and find inner peace, collective consciousness rises; as society becomes more enlightened and compassionate, conditions improve for everyone’s happiness. The WHF’s vision is audacious yet “doable” – a call to help every person live free, conscious, harmonious, and

Read More »
DSC09820-Doha-Second-Social-Summit.jpg

Happytalism and the 2025 Doha Political Declaration: A Paradigm Shift for Social Transformation

Luis Gallardo

Executive Summary The Doha Political Declaration adopted at the 2025 World Social Summit reaffirms global commitments to poverty eradication, decent work, social inclusion, and other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, viewed through the lens of Happytalism — a paradigm advocated by the World Happiness Foundation — the declaration remains constrained by traditional mindsets. Key limitations include a continued scarcity-based framework (framing development as a fight against deficits), reliance on GDP-centric metrics of progress, and a reactive policy orientation focused on addressing symptoms rather than root causes. These mindset limitations risk impeding genuine social transformation, as they reinforce competition over finite resources and short-term fixes. By contrast, Happytalism offers an abundance-oriented approach that prioritizes well-being and happiness over narrow economic growth. It calls for measuring success by holistic metrics (e.g. health, happiness, and harmony) instead of by Gross Domestic Product alone. It emphasizes proactive policies that cultivate prosperity and human flourishing for all, rather than merely reacting to crises. These principles were highlighted during the Foundation’s “Happytalism in Action” workshop at the Doha Summit, where global participants explored how

Read More »
Six Wounds of Humanity

Healing the Six Wounds of Humanity Through Love, Virtue, and Conscious Leadership

Luis Gallardo

Humanity carries deep core wounds that have shaped our personal lives and collective story. These wounds—first identified in the Gene Keys teachings of Richard Rudd—are Repression, Denial, Shame, Rejection, Guilt, and Separation. They represent the pain and fear we all inherit, passed down “at the point of conception in our ancestral DNA”. In modern society, we see these wounds still open: people repress their true feelings, communities live in denial of uncomfortable truths, many suffer in shame, feel rejected or marginalized, carry guilt over the past, and experience profound separation from each other and from nature. Yet within each wound lies a seed of transformation. This article explores how these six wounds manifest on personal, collective, racial, and planetary levels—and how we can heal them through love, virtue, and conscious leadership. Blending spiritual insight with scientific understanding, we invite educators, coaches, leaders, and everyday individuals to reflect, feel, and act. Healing is possible: when we courageously face these wounds with honesty and compassion, we become agents of change, guiding ourselves and our communities from pain to wholeness. Understanding

Read More »
Happytalism
Happytalism

suBscribe

We'll keep you updated on new and meaningful discoveries