PORT VILA, 7 March: Vanuatu has been ranked as the top country on the 6th edition of the Happy Planet Index, which was issued on May 2, 2024.

This is the second instance in 20 years that Vanuatu has secured the top spot, and the recognition was conferred by the Human Development Index based in the United Kingdom.

The country's success in this regard can be attributed to its cultural values and practices, which prioritize respect, as well as its unwavering commitment to environmental protection and climate change mitigation.

Vanuatu's achievement is an indication of its remarkable progress in fostering a society that places significant emphasis on sustainable development and happiness, and it underscores the crucial role of culture and the environment in shaping human well-being.

Vanuatu Cultural Centre and the Vanuatu Statistics Office collaborated to organize and launched the Happy Long life Exhibition to celebrate the country's achievement last Friday at the Cultural Centre. The Happy Long Life Exhibition started on 3rd and will end 31 May 2024.

In his welcome address, Arthur Faerua, the Director-General for Customs and Culture, expressed his delight in seeing countries like Vanuatu being recognized for their commitment to sustainable practices and environmental stewardship.

He further explained that the Happy Planet Index measures a nation's ability to create human well-being using its limited environmental resources.

The Minister of Health, John Still Tariqetu explained in his official speech that an index is a statistical tool that combines different indicators to gain an understanding of something.

Nowadays, there are various types of indices that we use, such as the poverty index, corruption index, development index, and price index of goods bought from shops or markets.

He further added that these indices help allow countries to evaluate their performance relative to other countries in the same region or across the world.

The Honourable Minister for Trade, Bob Loughman Weibur, also highlighted that Vanuatu ranked 140 on HDI but second in the world on HPI in 2021.

He emphasized that we should prioritize sustainability and well-being over endless economic growth, and the HPI provides us with a valuable tool to do so.

The top 10 countries by HPI score include Vanuatu, Sweden, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Denmark, Spain, Panama, France, and Chile.