MOSCOW, January 5, 2026. By Executive Order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the International Municipal Forum has acquired the status of an annual federal event. This decision was a direct result of the successful International Municipal BRICS Forum held in the autumn of 2025, with the Moscow Government as the General Partner and the Foundation for International Business Communications (FIBC) as the operator.
By Executive Order of the Head of State, Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk has been appointed Chairman of the Organising Committee of the new annual forum. The purpose of the Forum is to create favourable living conditions and develop international cooperation between municipalities.
The Government of Moscow acted as the General Partner of the IMBRICS Forum, which was successfully held in 2025. The capital city not only provided extensive resource support, but also presented a unique experience of digital transformation at the forum. According to Sergey Cheremin, Deputy Chairman of the Organising Committee and Minister of the Moscow Government, Moscow currently stands among the most advanced global cities, ranking among the top three in metro construction speed and second only to Singapore in the smart city rankings.
"We are proud of having partners in over 150 of the largest megacities on all continents," Cheremin emphasised. "The development strategy adopted more than 10 years ago and the active international cooperation have allowed Moscow to become a flagship in creating a comfortable urban environment."
The event was brought to a qualitatively new level thanks to the support of the Presidential Administration, the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Moscow City Duma, the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the professional work of the Forum's operator, the Foundation for International Business Communications (FIBC), which provided unprecedented scale and practical impact.
The figures speak for themselves: representatives of 75 countries took part in the International Municipal BRICS Forum, which took place on October 29-31, 2025, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Delegations from 83 regions of Russia convened at the Expoforum Convention and Exhibition Centre. Over 5,200 participants were registered, of which almost 1,500 were from outside of Russia. The development of international relations at the municipal level, as a key topic of the Forum, attracted more than 2,500 representatives of municipalities. Among them are more than 650 city mayors and heads of municipalities from all over the world.
76 cooperation agreements were signed on the sidelines of the Forum. The Forum has become a unique platform for expanding communications between the cities and regions of the BRICS countries and the Global South, allowing them to build strategic partnerships.
The high level of organisation and the concrete results of the IMBRICS Forum 2025 established the basis for the Presidential decision to give the Forum an annual status. The Forum has proven its relevance as a practical tool for development. One of the striking initiatives presented at the site was the launch of the International School of Municipal Leadership, initiated by the Presidential Administration and the Russian Foreign Ministry.
In his speech, Deputy Head of the Presidential Department for Internal PolicyEvgeny Grachev emphasised, "All national projects and any municipal programmes are human-centred. We are ready to share this experience."
With the appointment of Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk as head of the Organising Committee of the annual Forum, efforts to strengthen intermunicipal dialogue are reaching a systemic state level, ensuring the continuity of the successful model created in 2024-2025 with the key participation of the Moscow Government.