Center for Bhutan Studies and GNH (Gross National Happiness) President Dasho Karma Ura and three co-workers, Dr. Dorji Penjore, Sangay Chophel and Chhimi Dem visited Stockholm and Uppsala in January. The network GNH Sweden arranged the visit and hosted a varied program over three days with half a dozen meetings and seminars about and around GNH in general and in business life in particular. Among other things, Dasho Karma Ura met the financial markets minister Per Bolund and discussed how to measure prosperity and happiness in Bhutan and Sweden. A brown bag lunch at The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency attracted closer to fifty Sida staff. At a ”fika” seminar at The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth the discussion was about holistic welfare and the basic principles behind GNH. In Uppsala the topic was indicators and questionnaires about GNH and interesting trends and results from successive surveys and surveys in Bhutan. Other seminars involved paradigm shifts with the GNH Leadership Community of Practice, and philosophical aspects of GNH and business together with the Social Venture Network. Our association invited the delegation to an evening dinner.
From left
Johanna Giorgi, Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth ; Fredrik Björk, Malmö University; Pella Thiel, Transition Network Sweden; Anna Rosengren, GNH Sweden; Dasho Karma Ura, Per Bolund; Alf Persson; statssekreterare Ulf Holm
Dr Dorji Penjore, Sangay Chophel and Chhimi Dem from Center for Bhutan Studies and GNH