In the spotlight
Next week, the United Nations will implement Resolution 65/309, adopted unanimously by the General Assembly in July 2011, placing “happiness” on the global agenda.
See more and contribute to the Wikiprogress article on happiness
On gender equality
Afghan Women Jailed for ‘Moral Crimes’ (Guardian 26.03.2012)
A report released by Human Rights Watch this week titled ‘I had to run away’ has found that almost half of all imprisoned Afghan women are being held for moral crimes including running away from home and adultery.
See more and contribute to the Wikigender article on Gender Equality in Afghanistan
Call for Educational Reform to Create Knowledge Society (IRIN 15.03.2012)
According to the recently released 2010-2011 Arab Knowledge Report, education must be the top priority for post-revolutionary reforms in the wake of the Arab Spring; in 2007 data shows that 29 percent of Arabs above the age of 15 were illiterate, compared to 16 percent globally.
See more and contribute to the Wikiprogress article on the Arab Spring
On progress
In a message to the Global Human Development Forum, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for global action for social justice and environmental protection ahead of Rio+20.
On Child Well-Being
More than a third of babies born in 2012 will live to 100 report predicts (The Guardian 26.03.2012)
In a report titled ‘What are the chances of surviving to age 100?’ the UK Office of National Statistics has predicted that 35% of this year’s 826,000 new babies could still be alive in 2112.
See more and contribute to the WikiChild media review
We hope you will tune in the same time next week. In the meantime, if anything interesting passes your desk that you would like to see in the next Wikiprogress week in review, please tweet it to us @Wikiprogress or post it on our Facebook page.
Yours in Progress,
Philippa Lysaght
Wow, more than one third of babies will live to 100? That caught my eye from your list. It really seems like an increasing number of older people will be supported by a decreasing number of people of working age.
ReplyDeleteTriple H – Health, Harmony and Happiness.
ReplyDeleteThis week the United Nations have placed happiness on the global agenda, by implementing a resolution which was adopted unanimously by the General Assembly in July 2011. One has to read carefully to learn that it is not only about happiness, but also about Human Wellbeing. Nevertheless, again happiness plays a dominant role.
A too dominant role, in my opinion. Don’t you think there are some other, much more urgent problems to be solved? How can you bother about your own happiness if other members of your family are way from happy? Shouldn’t you first of all ensure that all your family members can also be happy? And thus make sure all Millennium Development Goals will be achieved right now?
For me it looks like: OK, many of us have achieved everything, enough to eat and to drink, proper housing, we can afford ourselves next to everything we want, so there is just one thing left to care about: Happiness. And we shut our eyes for the more than billion people who are lacking Basic Needs and cannot even dream about Happiness.
We are blinded by the triple A ratings, which stood very much in the spotlights over the last few years. We grow nervous and anxious when the economic growth of our country is staggering a bit. I suggest that from now on, we focus on the triple H ratings for all people: Health, Harmony and Happiness. In that order. Or Harmony, Health and Happiness, should you prefer so.
Realising high triple H ratings will enormously contribute to happiness for all of us. Happiness doesn’t need special attention. It is a gift as soon as we have achieved Health and Harmony for all.
Geurt van de Kerk
Sustainable Society Foundation