Huawei Technologies Co said it plans to invest $150 million in digital talent development over the next five years, as the Chinese tech heavyweight aims to help contribute to digital empowerment.

The plan was unveiled on Thursday as the company released its 2020 Sustainability Report, highlighting the company's progress in its digital inclusion, security and trustworthiness, environmental protection, and a healthy and harmonious ecosystem.

Liang Hua, Huawei's chairman, said, "Digital skills and literacy are not just the foundation for the digital economy; they are also a basic human right defined by the United Nations."

"Huawei's Seeds for the Future Program 2.0 will help college students and young people improve their digital skills. The program is expected to benefit more than 3 million additional people," added Liang.

Huawei is committed to helping develop digital talent in the countries where it operates. In 2008, Huawei began to roll out talent development programs through scholarships, technology competitions, and digital skills training, and has invested more than $150 million in these programs, benefiting more than 1.54 million people from over 150 countries.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has strained global education and healthcare systems, Huawei said it has been using its innovative ICT solutions to provide people across different regions with equal access to quality education and healthcare resources and playing its part in the fight against the pandemic.

In 2020, Huawei announced its Skills on Wheels and Connecting Schools programs in over 200 schools around the world, benefiting more than 60,000 people. Huawei also used ICT solutions to assist the pandemic response in the communities where it operates and provided technical assistance to nearly 90 countries, doing its best to support local communities in this time of great need.

Huawei also said it treats cybersecurity and privacy protection as its top priorities. In 2020, Huawei released the Software Process Trustworthiness Capability Framework and Assessment Criteria, establishing a complete set of trustworthy coding production mechanisms. As of the end of 2020, Huawei had been granted 2,963 patents relating to cybersecurity and privacy protection around the world. Last year, the company signed data processing agreements with more than 5,000 suppliers and performed extensive due diligence to ensure compliance.

Huawei said it also focuses on cutting carbon emissions, promoting renewable energy, and contributing to a circular economy. In 2020, Huawei's CO2 emissions per million yuan of sales revenue showed a 33.2 percent reduction compared to the base year (2012), beating the target of 30 percent the company set in 2016.