The AOG provides financial and scientific oversight. It determines the program policies, decides on EC recommended Full Proposals and allocates the amount of comingled ICDP funding for each individual drilling project. In addition, the AOG decides on the Annual Program Plan and the associated budget and discusses the Long-range Plan of the ICDP prepared and proposed by the EC. Decisions are made through a consensus process guided by the Chair.

The AOG meets annually after the EC meeting, usually in early summer. After the AOG has made the final decisions, the letters of approval are sent out to the Principal Investigators by the Executive Director to inform about the ICDP decision and its reasons.

The AOG is composed of one representative from each member country – typically a science administrator representing the respective funding organization(s).