CIRDAP – Enabling Rural Communities

Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP)

An Intergovernmental & Autonomous Organization; Established in 1979, Mandated for Promoting & Strengthening Integrated Rural Development Systems for 15 Asia-Pacific Countries; Namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Fiji, India, Indonesia, IR Iran, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand & Vietnam.

Webinar Announcement: ‘Gross National Happiness and its Operationalization in Bhutan

🌏 Join Our Webinar | March 16, 2026

Webinar on ‘Gross National Happiness and its Operationalization in Bhutan’ will be held on (Monday), March 16th, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Bangladesh time (11:00 a.m. Bhutan time). Her Excellency Dasho Karma Hamu Dorjee, Ambassador of Bhutan, Royal Bhutanese Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh will be embraced as the esteemed speaker of the webinar.

Notes on Happiness as a Development Goal: Lessons from Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Model

Gross National Happiness is a term coined by His Majesty the Fourth King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck in the 1970s. The concept implies that sustainable development should take a holistic approach towards notions of progress and give equal importance to non-economic aspects of wellbeing. The Gross National Happiness Index is a single number index developed from 33 indicators categorized under nine domains. The GNH Index is constructed based upon a robust multidimensional methodology known as the Alkire-Foster method.

The concept of GNH has often been explained by its four pillars: good governance, sustainable socio-economic development, cultural preservation, and environmental conservation. Lately the four pillars have been further classified into nine domains to create widespread understanding of GNH and to reflect the holistic range of GNH values. The nine domains are: psychological wellbeing, health, education, time use, cultural diversity and resilience, good governance, community vitality, ecological diversity and resilience, and living standards. The domains represent each of the components of wellbeing of the Bhutanese people, and the term wellbeing here refers to fulfilling conditions of a “good life” as per the values and principles laid down by the concept of Gross National Happiness.

Link to join:

Topic: Webinar on ”Gross National Happiness and its Operationalization in Bhutan’

Time: Mar 16, 2026, 11:00 AM Dhaka

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/99373436378?pwd=f6oPVnIKhNyJmdb7FH9z8JkASodSB0.1

Meeting ID: 993 7343 6378

Passcode: 224250

Join instructions

https://zoom.us/meetings/99373436378/invitations?signature=VQUzcHHaJm_2m0D4LmGJFGofTVMgLBgCIauXA3jH2eM

Your participation and insights would be highly valuable.

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