He said this during a courtesy meeting with Swiss Ambassador Reto Renggli at the Secretariat on Sunday. State Minister for Local Government Mir Shah Alam was present at the time.

The minister said that to strengthen the foundation of democracy at the grassroots level, real decentralization, increasing the financial capacity of local government institutions, and ensuring public participation are essential. He also emphasized an effective local government system to deliver services to people's doorsteps.

In the meeting, they discussed mutual cooperation between Bangladesh and Switzerland on various issues, including strengthening local government and democracy, local government elections, women's empowerment, rural economy, and tackling climate change.