National Institute for Development Innovation

The National Institute for Development Innovation (NIDI) is a centre for learning and innovation that promotes community practices and advances justice concerns of public policy in India. It aims at addressing cross cutting issues of natural resources, climate change, justice and governance with peoples ‘real” and ‘active’ participation.

NIDI’s approach is to develop and support institutions, individuals and community groups who devote themselves to pursuing the creative solutions to public interest issues, natural resources, climate change, justice and governance in particular.

NIDI conducts work in three principal areas: model development (through creative solutions and innovations), institutional reform, and training and education. In addition, NIDI places a priority on the cross-cutting theme of accountability of public authorities, because of its fundamental importance to the very notion of public interest work.

The model development initiative aims at working with communities on issues of natural resources, climate change, justice and governance. It promotes alternatives and creative solutions to the problems faced by communities.

The Institutional Inform initiative conducts studies public policies in India relating to natural resources, climate change, justice and governance. It enhances the participation of a wide range of actors, including both public authorities and civil society groups, in pursuing the public interest.

The Training and Education Initiative aims to strengthen the communities, professionals and activists who undertake public interest activities, and through them, their respective organizations. Basically, it is to facilitate capacity building process for advocacy before National authorities and at UN bodies (India specific mandates, commitments and compliances).

By promoting and providing technical assistance for community organizations, NIDI helps ensure that more disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, dalits, tribes and other rural poor in particular, have access to their resource entitlements, and their own alternate practices. NIDI helps bridge the gap between the community practices innovations and policy issues.