On Tuesday (September 15), he expressed this expectation during a courtesy meeting with Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme in Bangladesh Stefan Rodrigues at his office at the Secretariat. Minister of State for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam was present at the meeting.

During the meeting, various aspects of the development and capacity building of the local government system, the upcoming local government elections, and organizing joint training programmes for relevant stakeholders ahead of the elections were discussed. Alongside, the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and UNDP's cooperation in various development projects also came up.

The Minister said that increasing the capacity of local government institutions is urgent to deliver government services to people's doorsteps. UNDP's technical experience could be helpful to the government in enhancing skills and institutional capacity at the local level.

He said that making local government effective is directly linked to the country's overall development and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, more effective initiatives need to be taken in this sector through mutual cooperation with development partners.

Minister of State Mir Shahe Alam said that training programmes are important for enhancing the preparation and skills of those concerned ahead of the local government elections. If such programmes can be organized jointly with UNDP, it will play a positive role in increasing the capacity of the local government system.

At the meeting, Local Government Division Secretary Md. Shahidul Hasan, UNDP Assistant Resident Representatives Sardar Asaduzzaman and Anwarul Haque, International Project Manager Yugesh Pradhanang, and senior officials of the ministry were present.