Latin America: The Happiest Region in the World

GUATEMALA CITY. Nebaj area Indigenous smiling on camera yesterday in a ceremony held at the Human Rights Plaza in Guatemala City.

Heraldo Muñoz, deputy secretary general of the UN, said in the first International Day of Happiness (held yesterday), that despite the problems of insecurity in Latin America, its citizens are the happiest in the world.

This news was also presented as a “contradiction”, because the homicide rate in Latin America is the highest in the world, with an average of 22.2 murders per 100,000 people, well above the global average of 6,9. However, the region has achieved great progress, able to further strengthen its standards on human development.

The Chilean diplomat acknowledged that Latin Americans live happier since in the last decade they have achieved a “significant”progress, as disclosed in the major development indicators. Today, we live “more years” than ten years ago, have higher incomes and are better educated, he stated.

Insecurity does not prevent America being the happiest region

Muñoz warned that these progress “are not enough or harmonic” and the biggest challenges are still to fight against  the huge inequalities and the citizen’s  insecurity.

To mark the International Day of Happiness, Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the UN, said that people aspire to a “happy and fulfilling life, free from fear and in harmony with nature”, but also “too many people” live in extreme poverty, and face  the threats of crisis, violence and crime.

The UN General Assembly declared in 2012 that every March 20 will be celebrated  the International Day of Happiness.