Ladakh International Centre — a hub of research management and regional languages — will soon be inaugurated at Leh in Ladakh.

This will be the first academic centre in Leh to engage in research on a range of regional issues with a national perspective. The centre, located at an altitude of 3,420 metres in the heart of ‘High Asia’, will create a neutral space for informed discussion and research on national, regional and global issues.

The centre will be inaugurated by Governor N N Vohra on June 13. He will also deliver the inaugural address. There will also be a special address by C. Phunsog, former Chief Secretary, and Lt General Rakesh Sharma, General Officer Commanding (GOC), 14 Corps.

P. Stobdan, president of the Ladakh International Centre, said: “Broadly, the centre aims to create a platform for informed discussion and research on national and regional issues. The centre will strive to explore the strategic potentials of Ladakh as an outpost to advance India’s interest across Asia — into East Asia, Central Asia and South Asia.

“A modest facility is being created with my own initiative with no funding either from the government or from outside.”

He said the centre will hold regular discussions and workshops on regional, national and global issues. “The centre will provide information, analysis and dialogue facilitation for scientists and decision-makers across the region. It will enable scholars and practitioners to exchange ideas with the latest science and thought leadership worldwide,” Stobdan said.

He said the centre would also help decision-makers “navigate the changing geopolitical environment” in High Asia and its surroundings regions of East Asia (China), South Asia (Pakistan) and Central Asia.

“We will encourage multi-disciplinary research connecting local and global knowledge on the issues of shared concern across High Asia. These issues are food security and farming at high altitude, energy, water and ecosystem security, environmental monitoring, regional security, science in society and cultural heritage,” he added.