GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS IN PRACTICE

                          5^th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
                          on GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS

20-24 November, 2009

Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil  

“(We must) emphasize the need to maintain focus on the formulation of practical applications in terms of projects and programmes rooted in the locale where the real people are,
and where genuine meaningful grassroots changes must take place.”

                                                                       His Excellency Jigmi Y. Thinley, Prime Minister of Bhutan           

            The Future Vision Institute of Brazil and Itaipu Binational are pleased to announce the 5th International on Gross National Happiness, to be held at the Rafain Convention Center in Foz de Iguaçú, Paraná state, Brazil. 

            The Conference activities will start on November 20^th at 15:30, and continue until 12:00 on the 23^rd.

             During the 23^rd afternoon and on the 24^th there will be visits to the spectacular Iguaçú falls and the Iguaçú National Park, one of the largest forest preservation areas in South America, famed for its wealth of biodiversity (“one of the 7 wonders of Nature” - http://www.cataratasdoiguacu.com.br/).

             Itaipu Binacional which is a co-organizer of the Conference, is the largest hydroelectric project in the world in energy generation, and has developed one of the most important sustainability projects in Brazil. Its "Cultivating Good Water Program" focuses on the integral preservation of the vast watershed of the Paraná 3 river, by means of the conservation and recovery of soils and biodiversity, the improvement of environmental flow, and extensive environmental education for children and adults. Foz de Iguaçu was selected as the site for the Conference due to the internationally acclaimed “Cultivating Good Water” sustainability program of Itaipu Binacional, which is aligned with the GNH  ideal of a new concept of integrated development.

             The participants of the GNH Conference are invited to participate in the closing of the Cultivating Good Water Congress on the morning of the 20^th, before the GNH Conference begins in the afternoon. For those who are interested in participating in the other events which will occur before the GNH Conference (see descriptions below), the agency Celebra Eventos offers special packages (55-45-3528-6700 or fib2009@celebraeventos.com.br.)

             We look forward to meeting you soon in the beauty of nature and the inspiration of collective happiness!      

6th CAB: "Cultivating Good Water" Conference

           This environmental program developed in the Paraná 3 river basin by Itaipu Binational since 2003, along with more than 2,000 partners. The Cultivating Good Water project now includes 20 programs and 63 actions, and acts to improve the quality of life of the regional population and preserve the environment.

            The program inspire a transformation of values among the local people, in their ways of being, living, producing and consuming, and acts locally to solve the global problems which are facing all of humanity: global warming, loss of biodiversity, soil degradation, pollution and waste of water resources, etc. 

            Traditionally, the Cultivating Good Water conference is held at the end of each year so that the participants of the program can evaluate the progress of their activities,  generate new proposals and plan for its continuous improvement.
 

EIMA7 - 7th Ibero-american Meeting on Sustainable Development" (18^th to 20^th November)
            The origin of EIMA is a result of the findings of CONAMA II (Second National Congress on the Environment), held in Rio de Janeiro in 1995, when it highlighted the need to organize an Ibero-american meeting which would bring together, in one forum, countries of that region (business sector, government and civil society) to address key environmental problems and discuss common solutions. The first meeting was held in the following year in Madrid, Spain, and after that the event has been repeated in different countries. The seventh meeting will be held in November, for the first time in Brazil.

1st Meeting of Watershed Organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean (18^th to 20^th November)
            This is a combined event that intends to strengthen the integrated management of water resources in Latin America and in the Caribbean, through the sharing of national and international experiences and exchanges between organizations of watershed areas, with a view to building a positive agenda between the various representatives of organizations within the RELOB networks.