For the last 11 years, March 20 has been a day to celebrate happiness on a global scale thanks the United Nations International Day of Happiness. In 2023, the slogan is 'Happiness For All, Democracy.'

“‘Happiness For All, Democracy’ celebrates the extraordinary, astonishing, odds-defying, and miraculous, multi millennia shared accomplishments of the now more than 8 billion strong global human family, since our ancestors first walked the earth approximately 300,000 to 5 million years ago, thereby launching the first chapter in the great story of all of us,” said Jayme Illien, founder of the United Nations International Day of Happiness.

It's #HappinessDay today

According to the 2023 World Happiness Report, the top 5 happiest countries are...

Finland
Denmark
Iceland
Israel
Netherlands

Join us TODAY at 12pm (ET) for the launch of #WHR2023 https://t.co/DCYCNENxDE pic.twitter.com/fHe693VUyo

— SDSN Youth (@SDSNYouth) March 20, 2023

The right to happiness

The UN also used the day as a reminder that while democracy thrives more than ever, it also faces its greatest existential threat since the UN's inception.

“There is no greater example of the test of democracy today as a form of national and global government than the challenges presented by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, which led to our 2022 Happiness Day theme ‘HAPPINESS FOR ALL, UKRAINE’ a call for global action and unity to stand with Ukraine, and by definition, to stand for the success of freedom and democracy for all worldwide, as well as the happiness and wellbeing of all humanity,” said the UN.

The date and its motto also make a call to action for current and future generations, so they can carry out the great global efforts that our ancestors granted, such as the defense, preservation and advancement of democracy, and global unity for face the current complex landscape.

HappinessDay.org, UNIDOHappiness and UNNWO invite everyone to visit their website to learn about the annual 10 Steps to Global Happiness, guidance that any individual, organization or country can follow to celebrate the International Day of Happiness and Peace, World Happiness Week, and promote the happiness, well-being and freedom of all life on earth.

According to Illien, the new generations must face up to “challenges, and opportunities before the people and citizens of earth such as ending poverty, hunger and food insecurity, inequality, racial, religious, and gender discrimination, climate change, war and conflict, and advancing and the achieving of world peace, the global goals for sustainable development and, the happiness, wellbeing, and the freedom of all humanity of all life on earth.”