The VI International Municipal Forum of BRICS countries (IMBRICS) has ended in Moscow. The event is included in the calendar of Russia’s presidency in the union. TV BRICS International Media Network is a member of the organising committee of the BRICS International Municipal Forum and acted as an international media partner of the event. Over the two days, the participants discussed various aspects of the development of modern cities as well as formats of cooperation between megacities of the BRICS countries and their partners.

Alexey Shaposhnikov, Chairman of the Moscow City Duma, noted that the Russian capital plays an active role in the course of Russia’s presidency in BRICS.

“Dozens of international events have already been held, and dozens more are planned. They are aimed at the widest audience and involve the exchange of best practices on key issues of urban and agglomeration development. For residents of many other megacities around the world, our city has also become one of the most popular communication platforms”

Alexey Shaposhnikov
Chairman of the Moscow City Duma

Furthermore, the IMBRICS has become a platform for building real business partnerships between cities. In an exclusive commentary for TV BRICS, Mehdi Chamran, Chairman of the Islamic City Council of Tehran, spoke about the cooperation agreement between the capitals of Russia and Iran.

“We have concluded a memorandum between the municipalities of Moscow and Tehran. An additional meeting was held to discuss the content of the document. It was a very productive work”

Mehdi Chamran
Chairman of the Islamic City Council of Tehran

In his opinion, the IMBRICS and similar events are very much in demand, as they allow the BRICS nations to get closer to each other. At the same time, for other participants at this stage, the forum in Moscow has become a platform for finding partners.

Bruno de Queiroz Costa, Head of International Relations of the Executive Office of the State of Rio de Janeiro, in a comment for TV BRICS, noted the value of the Moscow venue in building new ties due to the geographical distance of many BRICS members from each other.

“The State of Rio de Janeiro is interested in applying the experience of other cities and regions in adapting to climate change and using information technology in state and municipal government”

Bruno de Queiroz Costa

Head of International Relations of the Executive Office of the State of Rio de Janeiro
The forum in Moscow attracted not only representatives of the BRICS countries. It was also attended by delegations from states interested in developing economic cooperation with the members of the union.

Najiba Djilali, Chairwoman of the People’s Assembly of the Algiers Province, told TV BRICS about the development of bilateral ties between the country’s capital and BRICS megacities. According to her, Algeria is adopting the best practices of partner cities and is actively developing economic and investment cooperation with them.

Humanitarian and inter-parliamentary ties were also in the centre of attention of the forum participants. Lev Zakirov, Deputy Chairman of the Chamber of Young Legislators under the Federation Council, informed TV BRICS about the initiative to establish the BRICS+ Youth Assembly.

“Youth parliamentary diplomacy has great potential for development. This is especially relevant for the period of the Russian Chairmanship. We want to promote a positive image of Russia, including through the establishment of inter-parliamentary ties”

Lev Zakirov

Deputy Chairman of the Chamber of Young Legislators under the Federation Council
VI International Municipal Forum of the BRICS countries was held from 27 to 28 August 2024. The event was attended by about 700 speakers and 5 thousand delegates from more than 120 countries. More than 50 thousand viewers followed the events of the IMBRICS in the online format. The Forum was supported by the Russian Presidential Administration, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Federation Council, and the Roscongress Foundation. The Moscow City Government was the general partner.

Photo: TV BRICS