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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

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UN RESOLUTION 66/281

International Day
of Happiness

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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.

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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.

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Happytalism, Key to (Re)connection

Thích Nhất Hạnh teaching children in rural Vietnam in 1964, at the School of Youth for Social Service. He pioneered “Engaged Buddhism” – bringing compassionate action into communities, an approach that aligns deeply with Happytalism’s call for co-creating a happier society.

Happytalism and Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Legacy: Freedom, Consciousness, and Happiness as Pillars of Fundamental Peace

Luis Gallardo

In the heart of Vietnam – the homeland of Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh – a new vision for global flourishing is taking root. As I visit Vietnam to present the philosophy of Happytalism in the local language, it is fitting to honor the wisdom of Thích Nhất Hạnh (fondly known as “Thầy” by his students) that resonates so deeply with this vision. Happytalism is more than a development paradigm; it is a manifesto for “a world of freedom, consciousness, and happiness for all”. These three values – freedom, consciousness, and happiness – form what we call “Fundamental Peace,” meaning peace is not merely the absence of conflict but the presence of liberty, awareness, and joy. Thích Nhất Hạnh’s most influential teachings on inner freedom, mindful consciousness, and true happiness can be seen as key pillars upholding this Fundamental Peace.  As an architect of Happytalism, we recognize Thầy’s impact: his teachings on mindfulness and interconnectedness are “foundational for understanding the symbiosis of individual and collective happiness”. In a visionary and compassionate spirit, let us explore how Thích Nhất

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Swami Vivekananda Ji: A Living Impact on Strength, Service, and Inner Peace.

Luis Gallardo

Swami Vivekananda Ji: A Living Impact on Strength, Service, and Inner Peace—and How His Vision Echoes in Fundamental Peace, Nonviolence, and Hypnotherapy Swami Vivekananda Ji remains one of India’s most luminous modern voices—not because he offered a comforting philosophy, but because he demanded a courageous transformation of the human being. His message was at once spiritual and fiercely practical: awaken the strength within, recognize the divinity in all, and translate inner realization into compassionate action. More than a century after his historic address at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago (1893), Vivekananda’s impact continues to shape India’s intellectual and cultural confidence, global interest in Vedanta and Yoga, and the modern understanding that spirituality must serve humanity. For me, his legacy is not only a chapter of history—it is a working framework. In my work on Fundamental Peace and nonviolence, and in my teachings on Hypnotherapy at Shoolini University in India, I find Vivekananda Ji’s ideas continually returning as a clarifying compass: peace is not passive, nonviolence is not weak, and lasting change begins in the inner architecture

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Brennan’s Seven Levels, Koshas, and Chakras: Integrating Energy Models for Whole-Being Leadership

Luis Gallardo

Introduction In today’s transformational leadership coaching, ancient spiritual models are finding fresh relevance. Frameworks like Barbara Brennan’s seven levels of the human energy field, the yogic Koshas (five sheaths of being), and the Chakra system offer multidimensional lenses on human experience. These models don’t just provide spiritual insight – they illuminate practical pathways for personal growth and authentic leadership. When integrated (as in the World Happiness Foundation’s ROUSER–Koshas approach), they map how body, mind, heart, and spirit all contribute to a leader’s development. This article explores the first seven levels of the Brennan model and compares them with the Koshas and Chakras. We will highlight synergistic patterns and show how these frameworks can be applied in leadership coaching for deeper self-integration and more conscious, “whole-being” leadership. The Brennan Model: Seven Levels of the Human Energy Field Barbara Ann Brennan, a former NASA physicist turned healer, developed a detailed model of the human energy field (aura). In her model, the aura has seven layers (or levels), each extending through and beyond the physical body. Each layer vibrates at a

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