The ICTP Director, Professor K.R. Sreenivasan, in his capacity as vice-president of the ASIA (Agency for the International Development of the Environment) Foundation, has signed an agreement with the Italian Ministry of the Environment enabling the scientific institutions of Trieste to train experts in the field of environmental protection. The ASIA Foundation is meant to initiate the activities that will soon be managed by the International Institute on a Partnership for Environmental Development (IPED). The creation of IPED as a category II UNESCO institute was agreed upon by UNESCO and the Italian Ministry of the Environment in 2005. IPED will be headquartered in Trieste. Claudio Tuniz, ICTP Assistant Director, is one of the members of ASIA's Management Committee.