The summit was attended in person or virtually by more than 80 experts from the education sector representing government, academia, industry, and UNESCO. The guests discussed how technology can play a role reinventing higher education for a sustainable future. Ten students from Huawei's Seeds for the Future program also joined the summit.

UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education Stefania Giannini and Huawei's Board Director Senior Vice President Vincent Peng kicked off the event describing the increasingly important role technology is playing in innovation and education. Giannini said, “We now have to go the extra mile, to bridge the global digital divide that left many behind and to integrate ICT-based solutions into higher education systems or programs. This is key for more than just graduate employability. Digital technology can also contribute to more open, flexible, and connected higher education ecosystems."

Peng, in turn, called for universities, corporations, and governments to work together for a sustainable and inclusive future. He said, "Digital technology has the potential to rebalance the world's education resources. We should leverage digital technology to build a more collaborative, open, and vibrant education system."

Peng also spoke on the initiatives Huawei is pursuing to bridge the digital divide and developing talent ecosystem, including the Huawei ICT Academy project where university-enterprise collaborations help universities train new ICT talent through dedicated courses, training boot camps, and competitions.

"We have partnered with almost 2,000 universities around the world to build Huawei ICT Academies, with a target of training more than 1 million ICT professionals and experts by 2024,” he said. “We hope to improve digital literacy of all through these efforts, supporting sustainable growth of the society and industries.”

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