A Message from the IEEE Computer Society President

I have been following the news of the war in Ukraine very closely and share, with the members of the Computer Society, a sense of sadness and outrage at the destruction and loss of life. As an international technical community, we strive for international cooperation and the free flow of ideas without regard to national borders – a goal that can only truly be achieved in a world where nations peacefully coexist.

Over the past weeks, many of our members have contacted Computer Society leaders to ask about our sponsorship of conferences in Russia. The answer is that the IEEE Computer Society is not financially sponsoring any conferences in Russia.

I believe it is important to maintain connections with and support scientists and engineers globally, and that these connections and the resulting open scientific discourse can lead to a better world. As a result, we continue to handle technical conference co-sponsorship requests from around the world through our standard vetting process, which primarily focuses on the technical importance of the conference material to our global community.

We recognize the impact that the current conflict has had on our colleagues in Ukraine. As we support scientists and engineers throughout our global community, we also hope to lend support to members of our professional community who have been displaced by violence. To that end, the Computer Society has started a list of opportunities (below) to connect our members with opportunities to help. I ask that you consider what positive steps the Computer Society and its members can take to help those who may be displaced and/or who are in need. Our goal is to grow this list and welcome your suggestions at ideas@computer.org.

The current humanitarian crisis in Ukraine puts into sharper relief our wider responsibilities, as concerned individuals and as a global professional society. We commit to greater engagement and to working with our membership to provide benefit and support to those in need in the future.

Bill Gropp, FIEEE
IEEE Computer Society President

This list will be updated as new information is available and as we collect additional opportunities from our community members:

•   International Committee of the Red Cross – Provides emergency support such as food, water, and other essential items as well as assistance to hospitals and primary healthcare facilities with medical equipment and emergency preparedness.
•   Save the Children – Is providing psychosocial support, distributing winter kits and hygiene kits and providing cash grants to families so they can meet basic needs such as food, rent, medicines, and other important support.
•   UN Refugee Agency – The UNHCR contributes to emergency relief efforts and helps provide humanitarian assistance to those in crisis. The UNHCR is currently taking donations to send aid to families in Ukraine.
•   Caritas – Caritas is a Polish charity organization currently accepting donations for the “Help For Ukraine” fundraiser to supply urgent hygiene and basic material assistance along with financial assistance to people in need due to the invasion.
•   United Nations Children’s Fund – The UNICEF, a humanitarian agency of the UN, is accepting donations to deliver lifesaving programs for affected children and families. Aid includes prepositioning health, hygiene and emergency education supplies, trucking safe water to conflict-affected areas, supporting mobile child protection teams and other emergency interventions.
•   Voices of Children – Voices of Children, a Ukrainian charity organization, provides psychological and psychosocial support to children facing the consequences of armed conflict.