ICG's approach is grounded in field research. Teams of political analysts based on the ground in countries at risk of crisis, gather information from a wide range of sources, assess local conditions and produce regular analytical reports containing practical recommendations targeted at key international decision-takers.

The next step is advocacy. ICG reports are distributed widely to officials in foreign ministries and international organisations, to journalists and others. The organisation works closely with governments and the press to highlight key issues identified in the field and to stimulate discussion of potential policy responses. The ICG Board - which includes prominent figures from the fields of politics, diplomacy, business and the media - is also involved in helping to bring ICG reports and recommendations to the attention of senior policy-makers around the world. The ICG Board is chaired by former US Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, who recently brokered the "Good Friday" Peace Agreement in Northern Ireland.

ICG currently operates field projects in eight countries world wide: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Macedonia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Algeria, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cambodia. The organisation is headquartered in Brussels with a U.S. branch in Washington DC. Belgian Senator Alain Destexhe has been ICG's president since October 1997.

ICG's projected budget for 1998 is approximately $ US 2.5 million, rising to $US 3.3 million during 1999. The organisation raises funds from governments, charitable foundations, companies and individual donors. The following governments currently have funding agreements with ICG: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of China (Taiwan), States of Jersey (Channel Islands), Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.

September 1998