The International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) (French: Conseil International de la Chasse et de la Conservation du Gibier, German: Internationaler Rat zur Erhaltung des Wildes und der Jagd) is a politically independent not-for-profit international organisation, aiming to preserve wildlife through the promotion of sustainable use of wildlife resources. The initialism "CIC" comes from the organisation's original French name Conseil International de la Chasse. The idea to establish an international hunting organization stemmed from an international conference in the small southern Slovak town of Nové Zamky in November, 1928. Building on this idea, the CIC was subsequently registered and founded in Paris two years later during its inaugural general assembly in November, 1930. Until 1999, the Administrative Office of the CIC was in Paris. Today, the CIC has its Administrative Office in Hungary. The organisation is headquartered in Vienna, Austria. The organisation unites 27 state members (represented by ministries responsible for wildlife management and conservation, or the delegated institution), a wide range of organisations engaged in hunting and conservation, as well as individuals such as private members and scientific experts from over 80 countries. The organisation has diplomatic status in Hungary, and observer status at the United Nations. The official languages of the CIC are English, French, and German. History The idea of establishing an international organisation dealing with sustainable hunting and wildlife management was first brought up in 1910 at the occasion of an international hunting exhibition in Vienna. The concept was however translated into concrete action in 1928 only, by French lawyer Maxime Ducrocq and Count Louis Károlyi, who organised an international conference in Nové Zámky, Slovakia, in view of establishing an international hunting organisation. Many of the discussions took place in the manor of Count Károlyi in Palárikovo, which now serves as the CIC Museum. The conference resulted in the "Declaration of Nové Zámky" calling for the foundation of an international hunting council named "Conseil International de la Chasse" and the formation of a commission which was to work out the Statutes of the CIC. This was the basis for the first general assembly and the official registration of the CIC in November 1930 in Paris. From the beginning, the CIC has promoted ideals for sustainable and ethical hunting, stressing that hunting and the conservation of wildlife go hand in hand, and gaining global recognition as an independent advisor in the field of wildlife conservation.