In an age when science plays a critical role in every aspect of society—from the economy to culture to international understanding—it should come as no surprise that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and ICTP have forged a strong and enduring relationship over the past 50 years.
That relationship dates back to the 1960s when UNESCO first lent its support to ICTP, then an organization in its infancy. It continued through the 1970s and 1980s when UNESCO extended its funding for ICTP's research and training activities, and culminated in the mid-1990s when UNESCO became the lead administrative agency for the Centre. ICTP is a UNESCO Category 1 Institute.
UNESCO's broad mandate in education, science and culture presents an excellent counterpoint to the Centre's focus on the basic sciences, particularly physics and mathematics.
ICTP and UNESCO, both individually and together, have always been keen to turn the pursuit of knowledge into an instrument for global peace and understanding.
