The World Congress on Information Technology 2019 (WCIT 2019) organizing committee announced the opening speakers of the upcoming conference in Yerevan, Armenia. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan will give an opening speech at WCIT 2019 alongside World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) Chair Yvonne Chiu and WCIT 2019 Organizing Committee President and Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE) Chair Alexander Yesayan.

This year, WCIT will address The Power of Decentralization: Promise and Peril and explore how information and communications technology is transforming our lives for better and for worse, and its impact on profits and prosperity, safety and security, democracy and humanity. The conversation that begins at WCIT 2019 will continue beyond the close of the conference in an ongoing series of discussions called The Yerevan Talks.

WCIT is expected to attract more than 2,500 participants from more than 70 countries. For more information about WCIT 2019 and the agenda, visit www.wcit2019.org.

The Government of Armenia has declared IT a strategic area of focus and its legislation creates favorable conditions for foreign direct investments in the IT sector. Furthermore, consistent efforts are made to promote the development of high-tech innovations, ecosystems, and start-ups in the industry. Over 45 percent of the industry exports go to the USA and Canada, 25 percent to Europe, and 11 percent to Asia. Armenia is a home to over 900 ICT companies, including the globally-recognized PicsArt, Renderforest, Softconstruct, and Joomag.