Director Virasoro, dear Colleague Dr. Mayor, distinguished guests,
The idea of creating an International Centre for Theoretical Physics was put forward at the Fourth IAEA General Conference in 1960 by the Head of the Pakistan Delegation, Professor Abdus Salam. The resolution was co-sponsored by the representatives of Afghanistan, the Federal Republic of Germany, Iran, Iraq, Japan, the Philippines, Portugal, Thailand and Turkey.
After further fruitful discussions and various panels of experts the 1962 General Conference approved the creation of the Centre. In 1963 the offer of the Italian Government of a site in Trieste was accepted by the Agency and in October 1964 the Centre opened its first headquarters in downtown Trieste.
Over more than three decades, the ICTP has been playing an increasingly important role in the development of scientific knowledge and in the exchange of scientific expertise between the industrialized countries and the Third World. The Agency is proud to have been closely associated with this expansion. The Centre is today playing a unique role as a forum for scientists from all over the world and as one of the instruments strengthening science. In a world where communication is dominated by sound bites and simplifications, the obstinate and disciplined respect for critical, logical thinking in science becomes an even more important factor for the mental balance of our societies.
In the first decade of its life the Centre flourished, mainly in the areas of nuclear physics and nuclear data, high energy physics, atomic physics, fusion physics and mathematics. It set up mechanisms which provide excellent learning opportunities for scientists, especially from the developing countries.
Since the IAEA is to promote the transfer to technology related to the applications of nuclear technology, it was natural that it would also encourage research in physics and in other sciences, a knowledge of which is a prerequisite to the use of nuclear technology.
However, an increased demand from the scientists of the Third World prompted Abdus Salam to extend the sphere of activities of the ICTP to other branches of theoretical physics and to mathematics. This development was facilitated by the fact that, in 1970, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which is concerned with all scientific areas, joined the IAEA as an equal partner for operation of the Centre. Today, the ICTP covers, in addition to the fields I mentioned, broad areas of physics related to energy, solid state physics, environment, medicine, biology, space science, lasers and mathematics, including computer science in its various aspects.
The last 15 years have seen an incredibly fast and admirable development of the Centre's activities in terms of scientific programmes and number of scientific visitors. This expansion, which was accompanied and made possible by an increase of the funding, mainly by the Italian Government, is a result of the vision, prestige and work of a man, Professor Abdus Salam, and the excellent staff members in ICTP.
In this process of expansion, the share of programmes which do not fall inside the major mandate of the Agency has continuously increased, so that eventually it appeared natural to switch the major administrative responsibility from the IAEA to UNESCO. This, of course, does not mean that the IAEA's interest in the programmes of the Centre is declining. The IAEA will continue its support to those programmes of the ICTP which are in line with its statutory obligations and it continues its financial support at the same level as before. We are only transferring to UNESCO the administrative responsibility for the Centre.
All administrative matters necessary for the transfer have been satisfactorily finished by the excellent work of staff members in legal and personnel divisions of both UNESCO and IAEA. I thank them. The informal Steering Committee Meeting was already held last December with the representation of UNESCO, IAEA and the Italian Government for discussions of future programmes and the budget of ICTP. The Scientific Council, which is strengthened by addition of new members, will also be organized soon for scientific review and discussions of programmes towards new directions.
Let me conclude: the extraordinary success of the ICTP over the thirty years as a place for co-operation and as a landmark for physicists and mathematicians from developing countries is due to the vision, competence and energy of its creator, Abdus Salam, and his collaborators together with the outstanding support of the Italian Government. I want to use this occasion to pay tribute to this far-sighted work. I want also explicitly to thank Professor Budinich and Professor Bertocchi and the Staff Council. Together they have through the years created a micro-United Nations, where all nationalities have been joining hands for an important, peaceful mission: the constant expansion of human knowledge and understanding of the physical world we live in. I wish we had a centre that was equally successful in improving hard knowledge and understanding of the social and political world we live in.
Lastly, let me express my confidence that under the new and dynamic leadership of the Director, Professor Miguel Virasoro, and his motivated staff and under the stewardship of UNESCO and Mr. Mayor, the Centre will continue to play its unique role in the transfer of scientific expertise and superior research. ICTP will also continue to function as a forum of excellence for scientific contacts among scientists from all over the world.