Mr. Deepak Elmer, Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Cooperation of the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh, participated in the C4C 2 and PRABRIDDHI joint sharing workshop organized by the Local Government Division, JICA, Embassy of Switzerland and SwissContact. The workshop highlighted various important aspects of urban governance and local economic development.

In his speech, Mr. Elmer said, “Strong cities create the foundation of a strong nation.” He mentioned that modernizing urban administration in Bangladesh and accelerating local economic development is very important for job creation, increasing competitiveness and improving public services.

He further said that cities do not change with just policies or technological models—people, their leadership and ownership bring about change. Therefore, institutional ownership and partnership are very important to ensure sustainable development.
Mr. Elmer assured Bangladesh of continued support in this journey, saying that Switzerland will stand by its efforts to make local governments the center of development, prosperity, and resilience.




