The mission was supported by the Regional Networking Project, sponsored by Freedom House, with funding provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The International Fact Finding Mission has been an extension of the Project on Security Challenges and Development of the Southern Balkans, implemented by IRIS in cooperation with the Euro-Balkan Institute, Skopje and the Institute for Contemporary Studies, Tirana, also supported by the Regional Networking Project, sponsored by Freedom House, with funding provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The European Integration and Regional Stability Program of the Open Society Foundation-Sofia, provides support to follow-up activities of the International Fact-finding Mission.

The international fact-finding mission aimed at evaluating the situation in Macedonia following the crisis in the country from March 2001. In pursuit of this goal contacts were established and interviews were conducted with representatives of various institutions, political leaders and civic activists in the Republic of Macedonia. A report was drafted, outlying the current problems and suggesting a set of recommendations for improving the interethnic relations and the security situation in the country.

On May 21 and 22, 2001, Dr. Ognyan Minchev, Dr. Nicholas Whyte and Marin Lessenski presented the mission's report to officials from: the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU, the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union, the European Commission Directorate General for External Relations, the International Crisis Group. The report was also presented and discussed at a major public event at the Center for European Policy Studies in Brussels on May 22, 2001.