THE STATE OF HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT |ZIMBABWE I 2017 Human welfare, and happiness prosperity Section 8 of the Constitution, in introducing national objectives states that the objectives set out in the Constitution guide the State and all institutions and agencies of government at every level in formulating and implementing laws and policy decisions that will lead to the establishment, enhancement and promotion of a sustainable, just, free and democratic society in which people enjoy prosperous, happy and fulfilling lives. Since 2012, happiness has been used to measure social progress in countries and the need to ensure that policies were being targeted at the well-being of citizens, not only economic development.The idea to measure happiness was mooted in 2011, when the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution recognising happiness as a “fundamental human goal” and called for “a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes the happiness and well-being of all peoples”. 68 In 2012, the first ever UN conference on Happiness took place. Zimbabwe was ranked at 138 out of 155 on the World Happiness Report with 3,875 points. This poor placing is exacerbated by the fact that the country is outperformed by war-torn Iraq, at number 117 and having 4,497 points, according to the 2017 World Happiness Rankings. 69 In Africa, Zimbabwe was ranked number 31 out of 44, and on world rankings was beaten by Zambia (116), Mozambique (113), Sudan (130) and Malawi (136), though outscoring Rwanda (151) while the Central African Republic anchors the list. The fact that Zimbabwe ranked higher than Rwanda proves that human happiness is not necessarily about the economic performance of a country. Respect for human rights and responsiveness to human needs are some of the determinant of happiness.A security-dominated state like Rwanda can perform better on economy but do badly on happiness. Determinants of Happiness The Gallup model looks at determinants of happiness in the 155 countries where at least 1,000 people per year in each country respond to questions on the quality of their lives and 0 represents the worst possible happiness while 10 is the best possible Happiness is measured using six variables, which are GDP per capita and healthy life expectancy (which can be objectively measured), social support (as measured by having someone to count on in times of trouble), social freedom (perceived freedom to make life decisions), generosity (as measured by recent donations), and absence of corruption (in government and business). GDP per capita stands for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita (per person). Challenge is that GDP per capita may be high, but that will not necessarily mean all the populace is enjoying a good standard 68 69 The UN General Assembly, Resolution Adopted by the General Assembly on 19 July 65/309. Happiness: towards a holistic approach to developmenthttp://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/65/309, World Happiness Report, 2017, http://worldhappiness.report/ed/2017/ 56