[10] The centre and its mission have been endorsed by many religious leaders and high-level politicians, including the Viennese Community Rabbi Schlomo Hofmeister, the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Schönborn, and the former Austrian President Heinz Fischer.

KAICIID's work includes the use of dialogue to fight hate speech, support peacebuilding and social cohesion efforts in conflict areas around the globe.

[22] Crucially, KAICIID seeks to promote human rights, justice, peace and reconciliation, as well as curb the abuse of religion as a means to justify oppression, violence and conflict.

[42] The former Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann (SPÖ) urged KAICIID to "speak out" against human rights violations in Saudi Arabia and called for an "orderly withdrawal" from the intergovernmental organization should this not happen.

[46] The Vatican has defended the organization as an international initiative, said that "the variety and pluralism of today’s world call for a multiplication of both chances for and vectors of development of the active and proactive role of the Church", and promised "to bring to light her concerns for the effective respect of the fundamental rights of Christians who live in countries with a Muslim majority, in order to promote authentic and integral religious liberty.".

[53] Fritz Edlinger, Secretary General of the Austrian Society of Austrian-Arab relations, also criticised Austria's position, arguing that he considers protests against human rights violations as "appropriate", but saying they should much rather be taken to the Saudi embassy instead.

[60] The parliamentary motion was harshly criticised by civil society organizations, religious groups and prominent figures,[61] including the former Austrian President Heinz Fischer,[62] the AJC's International Director of Interreligious Affairs, Rabbi David Rosen,[63] the Secretary-General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, Ahmad Alhendawi, and the European Muslim-Jewish Leadership Council (MJLC).

The Austrian activist and author Heather Wokush published an article headlined "Closing KAICIID, silencing dialogue", in which she wrote: "In essence, shutting down Austrian-based organizations with ties to nations supporting capital punishment is one thing; selective application of that principle is another".

Van der Bellen stated that KAICIID "did good work in the field of interreligious dialogue", but criticized that the organization failed to communicate that well enough.

[67] The Austrian broadsheet "Die Presse" expressed concerns over Austria's reliability as an international partner and seat of intergovernmental organizations, fearing that Saudi Arabia could even push for the relocation of OPEC as a retaliatory measure.

[68] Paul Zulehner, an Austrian theologian and the former Dean of the Faculty for Catholic Theology at the University of Vienna, has referred to KAICIID's closure as a "big mistake".

[69] On 29 October 2021, KAICIID's former Secretary General, Faisal bin Muaammar, and the Portuguese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva, signed the organization's new Seat Agreement in Lisbon.

[76] As a journalist, the current Secretary General of KAICIID repeatedly defended the death penalty in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, referring to any criticism as being selective, uninformed, and targeting Sharia laws.

[78] KAICIID's programmes focus on facilitating intercultural and interreligious dialogue in different countries around the globe, particularly through religious higher education and leadership.

The organization is active in multiple countries around the world, but places a particular programmatic emphasis on Asia, Africa (Nigeria, Central African Republic), the Arab region, and Europe.

KAICIID established five "dialogue platforms" in these focus regions to foster the use of interreligious cooperation as a counterweight to the manipulation of religion for violent ends.

[79] In these focus regions, KAICIID works together with civil society, faith-based and non-governmental organizations to address issues such as hate speech prevention, inclusive education and the protection of religious sites.

This includes support of the African Union on issues such as the protection of sacred sites; and work to build partnerships between policymakers and religious actors toward the achievement of Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The platform serves as a permanent link between religious leaders and their communities in the region, through which they collaborate on initiatives aimed at promoting dialogue, preventing conflict, and resolving existing challenges.

KAICIID facilitates exchanges among religious leaders and faith-based organizations in South and South-East Asia, designed to help communities find common solutions to shared problems, such as violent extremism, intercommunal conflict, marginalisation and displacement.

KAICIID has also convened Buddhist and Muslim leaders to engage in dialogues addressing hate speech, protection of holy sites, and inclusive education.

The Centre partners with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Institute for Peace and Reconciliation, equipping religious leaders and policymakers with dialogue skills.

It saw the participation of the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva.,[104] who delivered a keynote speech.Since its establishment, KAICIID has hosted multiple conferences around the globe, bringing together policymakers and religious leaders from different faith groups.

In November 2014, KAICIID hosted a conference in Vienna of Muslim, Christian and Jewish religious leaders from across the Middle East and around the world to join in respect for tolerance and diversity, denouncing violence in the name of religion.

The G20 Interfaith Forum is an annual platform that brings together religious leaders, policymakers, and diverse faith actors to collaborate on global agendas, within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).