ISDS, Inc. is a nongovernmental research and training organization composed of scholars and practitioners engaged in activities related to international peace and security, regional cooperation, sustainable development, democratic governance, and security sector reform. It is based in Manila and has linkages across Southeast Asia and beyond primarily through the ASEAN Institutes of Strategic and International Studies (ASEAN ISIS) and the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP).
 
ISDS has conducted research on the following: Development and Security in Southeast Asia, Civil-Military Relations in Southeast Asia, Security Sector Reform in the Philippines, Local Governance and Popular Empowerment in the Philippines, and Human Rights and Human Security in Southeast Asia. It has been active in promoting dialogue and networking primarily through track-two diplomacy in Southeast Asia and beyond. It has nurtured the following fora: ASEAN ISIS Colloquium on Human Rights (since 1993), ASEAN Peoples’ Assembly (since 2000), and the ASEAN-EU Think Tanks Dialogue (since 1998).
 
ISDS also provided inputs to the Philippine government on issues related to defense and security policy, foreign relations, multilateralism, and security cooperation. Together with other think tanks in Southeast Asia, it has lent its expertise to the ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN Regional Forum, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).