Huawei, the ASEAN Foundation, and the Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) on Tuesday, hosted the "Seeds for the Future Summit 2023" in Shanghai, China.

Under the theme "Connect, Cultivate, Contribute for Inclusive Digital Talent Growth in Asia-Pacific," the summit convened 91 participants of Seeds for the Future, Huawei's flagship talent initiative, from 19 Asia-Pacific countries, emphasising the vital role of youth in the digital evolution of the region, according to a press release.

"This is the third year for Huawei to host the Asia Pacific Seed for the Future Summit. Every year, we can see this program grow with something new, with more partners joining us. Meanwhile, three things remain unchanged: Partnership, Commitment, and Youth empowerment," said Simon Lin, president of Huawei Asia Pacific.

As a pivotal part of the summit, Huawei and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) announced a joint declaration focusing on six key areas of digital collaboration across the Asia-Pacific, including ICT policy and regulation, joint research, inclusive infrastructure, digital capacity-building, girls and youth empowerment, and digital practice-sharing, said the release.

The event was concluded with a panel discussion led by Dr Piti Srisangnam, executive director of ASEAN Foundation. Joined by experts from the National University of Singapore (NUS), representatives from Huawei and the Seeds for the Future participants, the panel delved into the intricacies of shaping tomorrow’s leaders by closing gaps, harnessing digital skills, and nurturing lifelong skills.

This talent summit is an extension of an immersive experience for the 91 students who were taken on a tour of Huawei’s campuses in Shenzhen and Dongguan, China, prior to the summit. There, they gained unique insights into areas like information theory, digital power, automobile technologies, and cybersecurity. The students came from a range of countries including the ASEAN 10, South Korea, Japan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands. All the participants were collectively selected by Huawei, the ASEAN Foundation, and ITU, the release also said.