Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Happiness minister takes job seriously
Cabinet position, new for UAE, aims to improve lives
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — In any given week, Ohood bint Khalfan Roumi gets the strangest requests: My parents won’t accept my marriage. Can you help convince them? I got a traffic ticket. Can you fix it?
Or sometimes it’s just a humble appeal: Please make us happy.
Why the unusual requests to this woman, an economist by training? 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 29member Cabinet (bringing the number of female ministers to eight).
Resolving domestic spats and tackling consumer complaints is not really Roumi’s job. Her position, the brainchild of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and the ruler of Dubai, is to promote happiness and a positive attitude in government, and life.
Roumi says laughing matter.
“This is serious business for the government,” she said during a recent interview in Dubai, one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE. “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.”
It might not seem a novel concept. After all, the United States enshrined the pursuit of happiness in its Declaration of Independence nearly 250 years ago.
But the idea of making society’s happiness a governmental responsibility is far from universal. It does appear to be gaining momentum, however.
The tiny 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 wellbeing, ecology, health, education, culture, living standards, time use, community vitality and good governance. In 2013, Venezuela created a Vice Ministry of Supreme Social Happiness and Ecuador named a state secretary of , or good living.
In recent years, Thailand and the United Kingdom have launched surveys to measure well-being, while other governments have commissioned reports to explore the benefits of happiness in a country’s overall development.
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.
Roumi is believed to 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 it’s no at (the idea of nurturing) happiness, 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 (and) in our government.”
During the last year, Roumi said, at least 70 people contacted her via the mobile messaging app Whats App 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.”
Several Dubai residents, randomly questioned, said they like having a minister of happiness.
“I think it’s a good idea because people are caught up in their work and their lives and their routine,” said Halah Hussein, 27. The ministry “will help them focus on other things than just going to work. It will also help them to be more creative and more willing to give back to the country.”
A self-described fashionista whose voice assumes an infectious energy as she expounds on her role, Roumi seems to be happy. The fact is, she initially swore off government work.
Her father, Khalfan Mohammed Roumi, served in government for two decades in various roles, including three Cabinet positions. Roumi recalled how he spent most of his time in Abu Dhabi, the country’s capital, and visited his family in their hometown of Sharjah only on weekends.
“I saw his life. I saw how tough it was,” Roumi said. “So I made the decision that I would never, ever join government.”
With a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s in public administration, she joined the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Although Roumi won’t say how old she is, in 2012 she made the list of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders under 40.
Ultimately, she couldn’t stay out of government.
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 office, then was told in February 2016 that she was being appointed to the Cabinet.
“What am I supposed to do?” she remembered thinking.
She set off across the globe in pursuit of clues, visiting Bhutan and Denmark, among other countries. Armed with tips from other nations, Roumi spearheaded several initiatives in her first year in office.
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.
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.
Academics, scientists, governmental leaders and organizations from across the globe convened to discuss the advancement of human happiness.
Feedback from workshops and panels will be compiled into a guidebook, but Roumi said the discussions had led to one conclusion: “Happiness is not a luxury for people; happiness is a fundamental human goal.”