The IDEA banner of honour, which highlights the contributions of individuals who have had leprosy, is displayed at the Cemetery where individuals with leprosy were buried on Robben island (South Africa) as part of an IDEA international conference entitled: "Stigma, Identity and Human Rights. The Experience of Leprosy in the Era of HIV/AIDS".

In 2000, IDEA received the Raoul Follereau Award from the Associazione Italiana Amici di Raoul Follereau (AIFO, Italy) for its role as an agent of social change. 

In 2003, IDEA launched a global campaign to eliminate the stigma associated with leprosy.