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The United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development concluded its twentieth session on the evening of 12 May with countries reaffirming its role as the United Nations torch-bearer for science, technology and innovation for development.

Madhya Pradesh created the first government department of anand (happiness) in the country and its job is to promote feel-good sentiments in government offices and among people. What exactly does it do?

More than anything else, the World Happiness Report serves as a spur for democracies in the middle ranks – such as India – to better themselves. 

While many countries have made concerted efforts in recent years to reduce their carbon footprint in an attempt to slow global warming, most are still consuming far more than the earth can support and thereby creating an ecological footprint that isn’t sustainable.

For decades, most countries have been chasing economic growth as the best proxy for increasing human happiness. When the economy grows, incomes rise and we all have a better quality of life... or so the story goes.

Sustainability could be a key link in improving happiness

The SDGs are a monumental undertaking, calling for unprecedented collaboration. To jump start the necessary teamwork, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson and Academy President Ellis Rubinstein came up with the idea to convene this first gathering of representatives from the science and technology communities at the Academy headquarters, in hopes of spurring action and innovation on behalf of the SDGs.

Climate change is an unprecedented and growing threat to peace, prosperity and development and addressing it presents an economic opportunity for Governments and business

Belatedly, happiness has become an important measure of welfare. The key feature that makes happiness a good gauge for welfare is that it considers non-income factors. 

Leader of Green Party in New Zealand makes a case for GDP's obsolete status as an economic measure.

We’re moving away from collaboration and partnership towards protectionism and the isolation of countries. This is due in large part as a result of rising wealth inequality.

Growing inequality has left much of humanity struggling to make ends meet while the richest one per cent continues to profit. This rampant inequality is a sure sign our economic model is broken. So what exactly has gone wrong? Our economy is built on six false assumptions that continue to be sold to us as truths.

The planet’s health is in perilous condition, heading toward a growing number of system breakdowns. Our government leaders remain deeply divided on how to address it. 

The Happy Planet Index measures life expectancy, well-being, environmental footprint and inequality to calculate nations' success—all areas where Costa Rica's government has made significant effort and investment.

An op-ed piece reflecting on the need for a new form of inclusive development in Bangladesh. 

The Global Footprint Network offers an accessible and easy-to-use site to learn about how the ecological footprint works, check if your country is running an ecological deficit, learn about Overshoot Day, and more. 

UN officials urge governments to introduce SDGs in school curriculum.

The Inclusive Growth and Development Report 2017 concludes that most countries are missing important opportunities to raise economic growth and reduce inequality at the same time because the growth model and measurement tools that have guided policymakers for decades require significant readjustment.

We are just beginning to see the effect of the UN’s goals, but what businesses are performing their due diligence to better the health and wellbeing of the humans and the world?

How we track our economy influences everything from government spending and taxes to home lending and business investment. This piece takes a closer look at economic indicators to better understand what's going on.