UiTM S’wak to host 8th International Conference on Gross Happiness
KUCHING: Universiti Teknologi Mara ( UiTM) Sarawak won the bid to host the 8th International Conference on Gross Happiness scheduled for Nov 13 to 17 at Riverside Majestic Hotel here.
UiTM rector Professor Dato Dr Jamil Hamali led a delegation to pay a courtesy call on Minister of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women and Family and Childhood Development, Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah at her office in Bangunan Baitulmakmur here yesterday.
The visit, according to a press release, aims to invite Fatimah to become patron of the conference taglined ‘From Bhutan to Borneo - In Search of Happiness’. It will be jointly organised by UiTM with the State Secretary’s Office and Centre for Bhutan Studies and Gross National Happiness.
Themed ‘Community Vitality’, it aims to provide a creative platform for inspirational exchanges, interaction and scientific debate on research related to Gross National Happiness under the sub-themes of public policy development, economic system, education, spirituality, lifestyle & health, cultural communication, tradition & heritage, ecosystem resilience and measurement & index.
The concept of Gross National Happiness ( GNH) is Bhutan’s guiding development philosophy declared by the fourth King in 1972.
GNH expresses a shift in consciousness regarding how Bhutanese strike a balance between material and nonmaterial values, prioritising the happiness and well- being of humans and other creatures.
The objective of GNH is to achieve balanced development encompassing a range of domain, each making a vital contribution to happiness.
Present were Community Wellbeing Assistant Minister Datuk Francis Harden Hollis; Women, Family and Childhood Development Assistant Minister Rosey Yunus; Permanent Secretary to the Ministry Dr Saadiah Abdul Samat; and Women and Family Department director Noriah Ahmad.