IDFR was set up with the primary aim of providing formal basic, mid-career and higher level training to Malaysian Foreign Service officers. The Institute, which is an agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is headed by an Executive Chairman. He is assisted by a team of training, research and administrative personnel and is responsible to the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The training programmes are practitioner-oriented and are aimed at equipping officers with the skills and knowledge to meet the challenges they face in the conduct of their professional duties. The Institute provides training in two broad areas-diplomacy and foreign relations, as well as foreign languages.