On December 26, 2024, at the ADONIS Hotel in Hanoi, the Network of trailblazing Women Leaders WELEAD (WeLead), in collaboration with the IPPG Group, organized the seminar "Women Entrepreneurs and the Importance of Mental Health in Sustainable Business" alongside the Gala Dinner "WeLead Connection" as part of the year-end activities for 2024.
The seminar attracted nearly 150 delegates, including representatives from women's business associations, clubs, organizations supporting enterprises, and female entrepreneurs from Hanoi, Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Yen Bai, Vinh Phuc, Thai Binh, Bac Giang, Ha Nam, and other regions.
This event was part of the program "Enhancing Mental Health for Sustainable Development for Women Entrepreneurs," led by WeLead with the ongoing support of the IPPG Group. It follows up on a series of four seminars and in-depth online consultations in 2023-2024 addressing mental health issues faced by female entrepreneurs, under the "Promoting Women Entrepreneurs’ Development: Creating a Gender-Sensitive Business Ecosystem" project, supported by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) and the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment's Department of Business Development. WeLead’s efforts have received special attention from female business owners, who face significant pressures from their business work, family care, and societal expectations.
The COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and armed conflicts in several countries have led to significant global economic, political, and social upheavals, increasing pressure on economies and businesses, including women-owned. At the seminar, Ms Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh, Founder and President of WeLead, who initiated and directly developed the program, shared, "According to statistics from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2022 regarding mental health in the workplace worldwide, approximately 12 billion working days are lost annually due to depression and anxiety, resulting in a loss of $1 trillion each year in productivity. Therefore, there is a crucial need for a program to support female entrepreneurs in enhancing their knowledge of mental health to proactively prevent and manage effectively, with the motto 'Prevention is better than cure' for themselves, their families, and workers, contributing to the happiness and sustainable development of businesses and society as a whole."
