The International Crisis Group aims at reinforcing the capacity and resolve of the international community to head off crises before they develop into full-blown humanitarian disasters. Founded in 1995, the Group is involved in fact-finding, monitoring, early warning, training, lobbying, and media-focused activities to help bring resolution to conflicts wherever they may occur. African countries where the Group has been active include Algeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The Group has a board, which includes former prime ministers, presidents and foreign ministers as well as prominent figures from business and the media. These include Senator George Mitchell, former US Senate majority leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Costa Rican president Oscar Arias Sánchez, former Belgian prime minister Leo Tindemans and former Mozambican first lady Graça Machel. In some case, the group endeavours to give greater prominence to information already gathered by other NGOs in the field. At other times, the Group posts staff to a country for a period to consult widely and produce analysis. High-profile visits to potential crisis zones by the Group’s board members may also form part of the strategy. The Group’s haws adopted a four-step approach: 1. Identifying countries that are on the road to crisis. 2. Engaging with all relevant players in those countries, including government and military leaders, opposition groups, business, relief NGOs and religious, ethnic and other groups. 3. Developing strategic, integrated policy proposals aimed at strengthening stability and avoiding the development of crisis. 4. Alerting the international community to the risk of crisis and bringing pressure to bear on governments, international organisations and relevant sections of the business community to take preventive and remedial action. The Group maintains an extensive web site with the texts of its own reports and links to over 200 web sites on Africa. Address: 26 Rue des Minimes,
B-1000 Brussels, Belgium; tel +32 (2) 502 9038; fax: +32 (2) 502 5038.  email: intcrisis@compuserve.com ; web site
http://www.intl-crisis-group.org .  US office: tel: +1 (202) 986 9750.  Contact: Alain Destexhe, president.  Number of staff: 6 at HQ, 16 in field.  Budget: > $1,000,000.  Publications: Africa’s Seven Nation War, 1999; Algérie: Assemblée Populaire Nationale: 18 mois de législature, 1999; Burundi: Internal and Regional Implications of the Suspension of Sanctions, 1999; Many others, all accessible on web site. 

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