 |
| Top 30 social impact businesses announced__Photo: VNA |
Thirty outstanding social impact businesses (SIB) participating in the 2023 COVID-19 recovery program was announced on August 3 by the Agency for Enterprise Development under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Global Affairs Canada, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
The winners will undergo intensive training and receive 100 million VND (4,208 USD) each to reform their business models and products, and recover after the pandemic.
The program forms part of the "Leveraging Vietnam's Social Impact Business Ecosystem in Response to COVID-19" (ISEE-COVID) project that provides technical and financial support for SIB with feasible business models and significant impacts on agriculture, tourism, education and health care.
The 30 were selected from 239 businesses nationwide, of which more than two-thirds have put women at the center.
In his remarks, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Duy Dong noted that the 2021 support package has proven effective as it has helped 31 SIB outline their business strategies integrated with sustainable development factors like environment, climate change response and social welfare.
Notably, the turnover of all the 31 has recovered and increased from 2021, the official said.
Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam Shawn Steil lauded the role of SIB in addressing social gaps and environmental issues, and creating positive impacts in Vietnam.
They have generated jobs for vulnerable groups, promoted environmentally-friendly products, and increased values for products, he added.
UNDP Resident Representative Ramla Al Khalidi expressed her belief that the selected businesses will optimize benefits from the program to develop and perfect their products and services.- (VNA/VLLF)
