-- NEW YORK, 12 November 2026
United Nations Headquarters in New York will host on 19 November “The Power of Pause in High Performance”, the fourth International Congress of the Vacation Is A Human Right (VIAHR) Foundation, dedicated to burnout prevention and to the role of the conscious pause in the performance of people and organizations.
Specialists in health care, institutions, business, higher education, tourism and sport will take part in the dialogue.
The congress, to be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., is organized by the VIAHR Foundation as Event Sponsor, in collaboration with the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), an initiative of the United Nations Global Compact.
“The pause is part of how good work is done, in a hospital as in a company or a classroom,” said María Méndez, founder and president of VIAHR. “Bringing this dialogue to the United Nations means recognizing that caring for people’s energy is a responsibility shared by institutions, businesses and society.”
“At PRME, we believe that responsible leadership begins with recognizing that the well-being of people is fundamental to the success of organizations and society,” said Dr. David Steingard, Head of PRME, United Nations Global Compact. “The power of pause challenges us to rethink how we define performance and success, moving beyond productivity alone to embrace a more human-centered and sustainable approach to business. Through education, we have an opportunity to shape a new generation of leaders who understand that well-being is not separate from performance, but essential to it.”
Guided by master of ceremonies Nahiony Reyes, the programme approaches prevention through the decisions organizations make every day: how they prepare people for demanding environments and how much room they leave for recovery.
After opening remarks by María Méndez and David Steingard, health care and psychology open the discussion, with Mario J. Paredes, Chief Executive Officer of SOMOS Community Care, and Aureliano Pacciolla, psychologist and psychotherapist.
Silvia Costantini, Senior Strategic Advisor to VIAHR, will retrace the Foundation’s history and outline its vision for the coming years, and professional coach Carol Finlay De Arcay will present the PAUSA® Method. The method takes its name from the Spanish initials of its five steps, Parar, Aceptar, Ubicarse, Simplificar and Acompañar: stop, accept, orient oneself, simplify and accompany.
From the business world comes a related question: how care for people shapes the way leadership is exercised. In a dialogue with Nahiony Reyes on leadership and purpose, María Méndez will share the personal story behind the Foundation, and Bisila Bokoko, founder and CEO of BBES, her own path as an entrepreneur.
Sport offers a direct view of the relationship between effort and recovery. Adrián Silla, Director of the Training Area at the Real Madrid Foundation, will discuss how pauses can be built into a culture of high expectations, and their effect on coaches’ quality of life and long-term physical and emotional health.
The two foundations have been working together since July 2026 to co-create pathways based on the PAUSA® Method for companies and individuals. “Just as muscles need rest after intense effort, the whole person needs to recover in order to give their best,” Méndez said of the alliance. “My dream is for everyone to learn that taking a pause is also part of winning.”
The discussion then extends to higher education, with Ángel Bartolomé, Vice-Rector of Universidad CEU San Pablo, and to regenerative tourism in “Traveling with Conscience”, a dialogue between Yira Vermenton, Director of Provincial Initiatives at the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic, and Ricardo Grzona, President of the Ramón Pané Foundation, on the ethics of the traveller’s choices and on slow travel that regenerates both the visitor and the place that receives them.
The last panel, moderated by Bisila Bokoko, looks at well-being as a value that organizations can measure and invest in, with psychotherapist Alexandra Askenazi and Laura Encina, economist, entrepreneur and financial educator.
Young researchers will be represented at the congress by Tran Nguyen Doan Trang, from Vietnam, who will present her winning paper from VIAHR’s first Global Call for Papers, “Healing the World through the Transformative Power of the Pause”. The call attracted submissions from more than 25 countries across five continents. Riccardo Ramadori, VIAHR Foundation Head of youth initiatives, will present the award and launch the second edition of the call.
The day will also see the first edition of the VIAHR Global Awards for Human-Centered Business Excellence, presented by María Méndez and Nahiony Reyes, which honour companies and institutions that place people’s well-being at the heart of their business model, together with the official recognition of the VIAHR Ambassadors.
Registration and media access
Registration closes on 14 November. Information on the congress and on participation is available on the VIAHR website. Journalists wishing to cover the congress must obtain United Nations media accreditation; the VIAHR press office can provide information on access to the event.
About VIAHR
Vacation Is A Human Right (VIAHR) is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded and chaired by María Méndez. It works with individuals, companies and institutions on mental health and the primary prevention of burnout through education, awareness and the PAUSA® Method.
About PRME
The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) is an initiative of the United Nations Global Compact that brings together more than 800 business and management schools worldwide to advance sustainability and responsible leadership through education. At the IV International Congress, PRME contributes an international perspective on responsible management education and the well-being economy, with particular attention to the role of education and leadership in preventing burnout and building organizations that care for people.
Contact Info:
Name: MICHEL SUAREZ
Email: Send Email
Organization: VACACION IS A HUMAN RIGHT FOUNDATION (VIAHR)
Website: https://www.viahr.org
Release ID: 89209261
Should you come across any errors, concerns, or inconsistencies within this press release's content, we urge you to reach out without delay by contacting [email protected] (it is important to note that this email is the authorized channel for such matters, sending multiple emails to multiple addresses does not necessarily help expedite your request). Our committed team will promptly address your feedback within 8 hours and take appropriate measures to resolve any identified issues or guide you through the removal process. Providing accurate and dependable information remains our utmost priority.
