The four day meeting of international experts for discussion on the New Development Paradigm inspired by Gross National Happiness concluded, yesterday, in the capital.
The international working group consisted of experts from around the world. The meeting which began on Wednesday saw intense deliberation on happiness and a new development paradigm that would encourage and foster sustainable development.
A room of full of experts with their own beliefs and years of experience did call for impassioned discussions; even the Prime Minister himself remarked that the emotional involvement of the participants surprised him.
“I expected cold discussion of happiness and a cold scholarship, but there was passionate discussion, you are all giants, thought-leaders, it is natural and also obvious that there would be differences in views and would be difficult to sway each other, but there is room for everyone’s ideas…,” said the Prime Minister Jigmi Y.Thinley.
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I am very happy that Equitable and Sustainable Well-being has been separated from happiness; so far, I was quite unhappy about well-being and happiness being used inter-changeably but it has been addressed with this model. Well-being is a basis for achieving happiness.”
Jigmi Y.Thinley
Prime Minister
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He also remarked that he was pleased that a distinction had been made between happiness and well-being in the 5 page draft proposal for the New Development Paradigm.
The Secretary for Information and Communications, Dasho Kinley Dorji, said such a distinction allows the aim of happiness to be a practical goal as the tools that contribute to well-being can be used as indicators.
The first draft of the New Development Paradigm will be worked upon by the Steering Committee, from Monday onwards.
The committee was established after a Royal decree was issued by His Majesty the King in July 2012. The Steering Committee is headed by the Prime Minister, and also includes the secretaries of the MOIC, the GNH Commission, and Dasho Karma Ura.
The five page draft document which is the outcome of the first meeting of the international expert working group will be subject to several modifications until its presentation to a High Level Panel in March, and a 15 page version for the United Nations General Assembly in September.
All changes to the proposal for the New Development Paradigm will have to be reviewed and approved by the Royal Government of Bhutan. Dasho Kinley Dorji explained that the document must be submitted through other formal UN channels before 2014 in order for Bhutan to be able to finally submit the New Development Paradigm Proposal in 2014
