KATHMANDU: Sunita Dangol, deputy mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, has called for local governments to be given a decisive, rather than symbolic, role in projects funded or implemented through international partnerships and investments.
Dangol made the remarks while presenting at the “Cities and Regions for International Partnerships 2025 Forum” held at the European Union headquarters in Brussels from December 8 to 10. She said local governments should have meaningful participation with authority and ownership in such initiatives.
“Physical infrastructure should not be seen merely as a structural project. These projects must be integrated with local social and cultural values to ensure sustainable development with genuine local ownership. This requires meaningful involvement of local authorities from the project design stage,” Dangol said. She noted that in most past international projects, local participation has often been absent during the implementation phase.
The forum focused on localizing the European Union’s global ‘Gateway’ investment strategy and included participation from local authorities of EU countries, partner countries, and regional officials. From Nepal, Deputy Mayor Dangol joined alongside Chandragiri Mayor Ghanshyam Giri and Birendranagar Mayor Mohanmaya Dhakal (Bhandari).
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