The project of establishing an independent conflict resolution center in the Caucasus region was first proposed by Dr. George Khutsishvili in1989, but existed only as an informal group of scholars till late 1992 when the Center for Conflict Research opened as part of the newly established State Committee for Human Rights and Ethnic Relations of Georgia. The Center participated in the international project "Ethnicity and European Security" coordinated by the Centre for International Studies at Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. In 1993/94 Dr. Khutsishvili's was awarded an IREX/Carnegie fellowship in "International Security Studies Program" at the Center for International Security and Arms Control (at present - Center for International Security and Cooperation) of Stanford University. The fellowship at CISAC was extended to a full academic year thanks to the generous private donation from Mr. David Packard. In the same period, Dr. S. Neil Macfarlane of Queen's University, Dr. David Holloway of CISAC, and Dr. Raymond Shonholtz of Partners for Democratic Change encouraged Dr. Khutsishvili to apply to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for the establishment of independent NGO in Georgia. In spring 1994 the decision was made by the MacArthur Foundation to support the establishment of the International Center on Conflict and Negotiation in Georgia. The Founding Assembly was held in Tbilisi on August 8, 1994, which unanimoulsy (63 signatures altogether) supported the establishment of ICCN. Dr. Khutsishvili was granted the status of the ICCN Founder. On November 3, 1994 the Ministry of Justice of Georgia registered ICCN as non-profit NGO (certificate #1755). ICCN was given a status of international organization according to the Georgian legislation, because CISAC of Stanford University served in the first year after the ICCN establishment as an implementing partner, and principal investigator of the project. Since then ICCN has been an independent contractor. The activities of ICCN extend to the Caucasus region, with special emphasis on the situation in Georgia, yet ICCN has participated in wider networks and international projects.
ICCN has been co-founder of international societies and centers, e.g. International
Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, based in Tbilisi, Georgia; The Caucasus
NGO Forum for Peace and Nonviolence in the Caucasus; the Caucasus Women's
Research and Consulting Network (CWN), etc. Since 1996 ICCN has been
part of the Steering Committee for the CIS Conference on Forced Migration
(so-called CISCONF or 'Geneva Process') sponsored by UNHCR, IOM and
OSCE. From 1998 ICCN is member of IANSA (International Action Network on Small
Arms), and United for Intercultural Action (the Netherlands). From 2000 ICCN
is member of Transcend: A Peace and Development Network (Dr. mult. Johan Galtung,
Director) and European Platform for Conflict Prevention and Transformation
(the Netherlands). In 2001 ICCN co-funded the Georgian Coalition Against Violence.
In February 2003 Director of ICCN initiated the Movement Against Religious
Intolerance in Georgia.