French Ambassador Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet paid a courtesy call on the Mayor of Chattogram City Corporation, Dr Shahadat Hossain, at his office on Monday. Photo : Embassy of France in Dhaka

DHAKA, June 30, 2026 (BSS) - France has reaffirmed its commitment to 
supporting Bangladesh in strengthening industrial safety and resilience at 
Chattogram Port while exploring broader cooperation with the Chattogram City 
Corporation on sustainable urban development.

French Ambassador to Bangladesh Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet  made the remarks during 
a visit to Chattogram on Monday, where he inaugurated a two-week "Industrial 
Safety" training programme in collaboration with the Chattogram Port 
Authority (CPA) and later paid a courtesy call on Chattogram City Corporation 
(CCC) Mayor Dr Shahadat Hossain, said the French Embassy here today.
 
"As Bangladesh's largest port, Chattogram is a focal point for major 
industrial safety challenges," the ambassador said, reiterating the continued 
commitment of France and the European Union to helping Bangladesh build safer 
and more resilient ports.

He said the training programme supports Bangladesh's efforts to develop and 
secure its port infrastructure while promoting a culture of risk prevention 
that enhances both public safety and operational efficiency.

The programme focuses on managing industrial risks in port areas, including 
hazard identification, risk assessment, accident scenario modelling and 
determining safety distances to strengthen emergency response planning.

The initiative is being implemented under the Global Ports Safety (GPS) 
Project, a Team Europe programme led by France and the European Union and 
executed by Expertise France.

The project forms part of France's Indo-Pacific Strategy and the European 
Union's Global Gateway initiative and seeks to enhance the safety, resilience 
and sustainability of 12 strategic ports across eight countries in South and 
Southeast Asia along key Indo-Pacific maritime routes.

The ambassador thanked the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA), Bangladesh 
University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), the National Institute for 
Industrial Environment and Risks and Expertise France for their 
collaboration.

The training has brought together participants from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and 
Thailand, promoting regional cooperation and knowledge-sharing on industrial 
safety and port risk management.

During his meeting with the CCC mayor, Ambassador Séré-Charlet  discussed 
opportunities to strengthen cooperation at the local level and offered to 
explore partnerships between Chattogram and French cities.

The ambassador also highlighted France's continued support for Chattogram 
through the Agence française de développement (AFD), which is financing a major sanitation 
project aimed at addressing the city's immediate sanitation needs while 
contributing to long-term efforts to make the port city healthier, more 
resilient and more liveable.

Mayor Dr Hossain briefed the ambassador on the Chattogram City Corporation's 
development priorities for the coming months and also informed him about the 
forthcoming city corporation elections.