Wilton Park was established in 1946 as part of an initiative to help re-establish peace and democracy in Europe. Since then, it has developed a unique status as an academically independent Executive Agency of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). It has become one of the world's leading institutions for discussion of international issues and challenges, with 47 conferences held in 2002/03 raising an income of #65533;3,591,000. Topics discussed include: reform in the Arab world, the situation in Afghanistan, EU reform, the Western Balkans, conflict prevention strategies, diplomacy and development issues.