Fulfilling the Promise of the Digital Age
MEDIA RELEASE March 28, 2022
Contact: Mr. Yannis Sirros. Mob: +30 (6) 9 44 77 88 18 E: Yannis@WITSA.org
Dr. Jim Poisant. Mob. +1 703 728-4547 E: jpoisant@witsa.org
Mr. Constantine Vasuk. Mob: +38 099 266 39 03 E: hello@itukraine.org.ua
WITSA and IT Ukraine Association Applauds Ukraine’s ‘Hidden IT Heroes’, Calls on Support from the Global ICT IndustryFairfax, VA: The World Innovation, Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) and IT Ukraine Association fully support UN Secretary António Guterres and his appeal to President Putin to end the war in Ukraine. “Such unilateral measures conflict directly with the United Nations Charter, which states that all members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations”, said WITSA Secretary General Dr. Jim Poisant.As an organization dedicated to the peace and prosperity and fulfilment of the digital promise to all by enhancing international trade and the rule of law for nearly 50 years, we stand with the innocent people of Ukraine in these difficult times and encourage the world community to do the same, said WITSA Chairman Mr. Yannis Sirros. “We implore President Putin to withdraw his weapons immediately and work toward restoring a path of dialogue and negotiations to save the people of Ukraine from the scourge of war”, continued Mr. Sirros.In recent years, Ukraine has made major strides toward becoming a digital nation, with the ambitious goal of transforming Ukraine into a large European IT hub. Even though Ukraine has been entangled in a perpetual war with Russia since 2014, the Ukrainian IT industry has experienced a rapid growth of 36% and the sector has seen a significant influx of new talent. Information technology products and services is now one of the key export industries of Ukraine and, over the past three years, the industry has more than doubled its exports and has boosted its workforce by more than 50%. Many apps, programs and services are produced by Ukrainian companies, and citizens around the world rely on Ukrainian talent and expertise every day. Ukraine’s tech sector grew 20 percent in 2020 and is powered by a tradition of technical education and a recent boom in outsourcing from more expensive countries.“Having already had reliable cooperation with WITSA beforehand, we are delighted to partner again, this time to provide support to Ukraine in this difficult hour. Currently being the only operating export industry, Ukrainian Tech has been demonstrating its resilience and still keeping its potential to grow. The way the Ukrainian IT businesses are holding up under the conditions of war is very encouraging and I am confident that together with the representatives of the global tech market we will have enough strength and motivation to rise to today’s challenges and to do this with dignity,” said Konstantin Vasuk, Executive Director of the IT Ukraine Association.It is imperative that the global ICT sector support Ukraine by maintaining business operations and to further invest in and helping build and preserve the burgeoning tech sector in Europe’s second largest country. In particular, corporations that are looking for providers for their projects, as well as those that have divested or suspended their business in Russia should consider investing and finding partners in the Ukrainian tech sector. By supporting Ukraine during the war, clients will most importantly continue to receive their desired products and results.WITSA and IT Ukraine Association strongly encourage all tech companies to assess the human rights impacts of their business decisions in line with the U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.We therefore strongly encourage people from the global tech industry to consider supporting Ukraine through the #StandwithUkraine global initiative. The NGO Techiia Foundation, verified by the IT Ukraine Association, joined the #StandwithUkraine global initiative. The idea is to let public figures and entrepreneurs express their support for Ukrainians via video recorded at the WePlay Arena L. A., which is uniquely decorated as a platform for the #StandwithUkraine initiative. The Ambassador and Consul General of Belgium Gunther Sleeuwagen, IT entrepreneurs Andrei Komarovsky and Ivan Agapchev, the Film Director, Screenwriter, and Producer Roland Emmerich have joined the project already. The IT Ukraine Association calls for entrepreneurs, who would like to feature in the next videos - live from the arena in Los Angeles (USA) or online, broadcasting the video on the screens.Courtesy of DIGITALEUROPE, a non-exhaustive list of organisations – both international and local – active on the ground which you can support, as well as individual and collective initiatives from the tech and scientific communities to help the people of Ukraine is provided below:
About WITSA: The World Innovation, Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) is the leading recognized international voice of the global digital technology industry, whose members from over 80 countries and economies represent more than 90 percent of the world ICT market. WITSA is dedicated to advocating policies that advance industry growth and development; facilitating international trade and investment in digital technology products and services; strengthening WITSA’s national industry associations; and providing members with a broad network of professional contacts.WITSA members are leaders in a globally interconnected marketplace. Because the challenges facing the digital technology industry are undisputedly global in nature, WITSA members work together to achieve a shared vision on important issues of common interest. WITSA makes it possible for its members - ranging from Mongolia and Argentina to Kenya and the United States - to identify common issues and priorities, exchange valuable information, and present a united position on industry issues. For more information on WITSA, please visit https://witsa.org/.About IT UkraineIT Ukraineis the country’s largest association of IT companies, representing the interests of more than 75,000 IT professionals. Since the Russian aggression, the association has been at the forefront of the industry’s response, coordinating cyber and IT support,partnering with humanitarian organizations, and spreadingnews and informationto counter Russian propaganda.
