Global society turns to petitioning to demand specific actions against largest military escalation in Europe in recent history
WARSAW, Poland, March 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Change.org announced today that approximately one week after Russia's military advanced over Ukraine's borders, more than 4 million people spanning 196 countries around the world have turned to massive petitioning as a way to raise their voices and demand specific actions in the wake of one of the largest military escalations in recent history. To date, more than 1 million people have signed a Russian petition on the platform opposing war with Ukraine. This conflict is currently the biggest and fastest-growing issue being addressed on Change.org across the globe with thousands of petitions being created on the platform within the last seven days.
"We've seen political leaders around the world stepping up to de-escalate and hopefully put an end to this conflict, but many individual citizens also want to do their part, both in speaking up to demand an end to the current conflict but also to voice other concerns," said Anya Ayvazyan, Country Director, Change.org Russia. "For everyday citizens on the ground, they see the impact of the conflict from a perspective that many political leaders either may not or just can't prioritize. This may include anything from the amplified mistreatment of select segments of the population to how brands and businesses should do their part to respond to the crisis. Our platform gives them a way to collectively voice those perspectives."
Change.org, the world's largest tech platform for social change, has been a powerful tool for everyone from everyday citizens to the most passionate activists addressing the world's top political, societal and economic issues. The organization has created a global movement page compiling the most active petitions around the world in response to the Russia-Ukraine conflict available at change.org/m/stand-with-ukraine.
"For many in Russia, it's truly heartbreaking to witness this conflict. This is why more than a million Russians have asked the government to stop the war immediately by signing a petition on Change.org," Ayvazyan continued. "In the days to come, we anticipate a growing wave of campaigns showcasing solidarity and compassion—and most importantly, a strong desire to put an end to this devastating military conflict."
Among the countries petitioning as a way to voice their concerns, more than half a million people have signed an Italian petition rallying people in Europe, Turkey, Indonesia and Japan who oppose the war and another more than 200,000 are demanding humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees. In the United States, more than 40,000 people are urging YouTube to pull Russia Today's (RT) channel as was successfully done in Europe in an effort to prevent the spread of misinformation.
Change.org offers free support to petition starters, helping them to develop campaign strategies, secure media coverage, organize protests, and get in touch with powerful decision makers while also working to promote their petitions worldwide. As an independent, nonprofit-owned organization, this is part of the open platform's commitment to creating a civic infrastructure that empowers people everywhere to build healthier, more participatory and responsive societies. Through robust user guidelines and a dedicated legal and policy team, Change.org maintains a strong commitment to user privacy and safety and ensuring the rights and responsibilities of its half a billion users worldwide remain protected and enforced.
About Change.orgChange.org is the world's largest tech platform for people-powered social change. More than half a billion people across more than 196 countries use our technology-driven petition and campaign tools to speak up on issues they're passionate about. Approximately 70,000 petitions are created and supported on our platform every month, with 1.7 million new people joining our global network of users every week. People on Change.org have powered tens of thousands of campaign victories worldwide, and more are winning every week.
Every day, our users collaborate to organize on local, national and global issues; hold corporations to account; and demand action from decision makers at the highest levels of government and business. Our platform is free to use, open to all, and completely independent because it's funded by the people who use it. Our independence makes us a trusted resource for decision-makers, who turn to the platform to hear from and respond to the communities they represent.
The nonprofit Change.org Foundation oversees both the Change.org Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), a wholly owned corporate subsidiary focused on technology, innovation and growth; and the Change.org charitable programs focused on empowering the most marginalized people and communities globally. This hybrid structure of two mutually supporting organizations enables us to combine the ambition and growth trajectory of a tech company with the mission-focused stewardship of a nonprofit.
As an organization, Change.org is committed to providing the tools, resources and support needed to empower anyone, anywhere to create the change they want to see in the world.
