The International Federation of Catholic Universities and its International Center for Research and Decision Support have the mission of disseminating knowledge useful to international decision-makers by providing their universities’ expertise. Therefore, different ways of involvement are possible: attending working sessions and participating in the drafting of resolutions and recommendations, contributing to working groups by proposing topics to be studied, or producing policy papers.
IFCU has a consultative status with the UNESCO in Paris, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York, and a participatory status with the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. The Federation is also present in the OECD Higher Education Stakeholder Forum and the OSCE Network of Think Tanks and Academic Institutions.
To fulfill its missions regarding the social responsibility of universities (RSU), the Federation must reflect on the human, its inclusion in society and the contemporary environment. The main themes on which IFCU wishes to disseminate its expertise are education, training and access to the labor market, given the current context of globalization. This brings the experts of its network to disseminate their knowledge especially on the digital transition, innovative ecosystems including the notion of "innovative pedagogies", or ethical issues and bioethics. This social responsibility must also be illustrated by a reflection on access to higher education for people with disabilities, migrants and refugees.
Finally, the Federation, being also involved in the building of networks in Peace Studies, also wishes to participate in discussions and works on populism, the fight against hate speech, the prevention of violent extremism, or the human rights education, intercultural and interreligious dialogue.