In his book Independent Diplomat, Dispatches from an Unaccountable Elite (2007), Ross argued that the "numerous smaller UN missions struggle to cover the enormous and proliferating agendas of the UN General Assembly, Security Council and specialised committees with just one or two horribly overworked and under-equipped diplomats.
"[3][5] Carne Ross, the group founder, has argued for broader participation of small countries in United Nations institutions.
[2] The organization works[6] on several diplomatic initiatives, including supporting the Republic of the Marshall Islands in international climate negotiations where they lead the High Ambition Coalition, achieving outcomes such as the 1.5°C temperature goal in the Paris Agreement and commitments to double adaptation finance from developed to developing nations.
In Western Sahara, ID works with the Polisario Front on their objective of securing self-determination for the indigenous Sahrawi people.
The organization also works on systemic diplomatic initiatives, including: Ross, the group's founder, says that the organization declines to provide services to clients who "are engaged in armed conflicts, are insufficiently committed to human rights, democracy and international law, or unwilling to commit to negotiated settlements to their problems.