IDC is a global organisation with a localised worldview. We respect the unique expertise, systems, and frameworks that shape opportunities and challenges in different parts of the world. IDC sets a collaborative agenda for change through our core organisational approaches:
Advocacy
IDC advocates for changes in law, policy and practice that promote human rights. IDC builds effective advocacy collaboration between civil society and governments across national, regional and global levels, with the aim to impact national change. IDC also supports members to measure, evaluate and strengthen campaign and advocacy strategies related to immigration detention and alternatives to detention (ATD).
Research
IDC publishes world-renowned and impactful publications on ATD and implementation guidance, such as the Community Assessment and Placement (CAP) Model and There Are Alternatives. By shaping civil society and government understanding of rights-based ATD, IDC has made significant movements towards reducing the use of immigration detention.
Coalition & Capacity Building
IDC builds the capacity of members and governments to develop solutions. IDC creates opportunities for members to participate in peer learning, capacity building, and advocacy strategy development. IDC also prioritises feedback and inclusion, whereby key members input into IDC’s strategic decisions, and their concerns are brought into our work, and the global fora.
Strategic Practices
Additionally, IDC prioritises the following practices that underpin activities across our core organisational approaches:
- Peer-Learning Since its inception, IDC has prioritised supporting the development of communities of practice. Peer-learning processes facilitate the sharing of ideas, experiences, knowledge, challenges, as well as encourage ongoing support among stakeholders, particularly networks of ATD implementers. IDC supports and facilitates peer-learning among IDC members and State actors at local, national and regional levels, as well as cross-regional and global level platforms.
- Lived Experience Leadership IDC believes that people with lived experience of detention need to be involved in shaping the policies that directly impact their own lives and communities, and we see this representation as key to systemic social change. To this end, IDC strives to ensure people who have experienced or are at-risk of experiencing immigration detention are provided with opportunities to conduct and lead national, regional, and global level advocacy on immigration detention reform, and rights-based ATD.