Putin signed a decree on holding the MMF in an expanded format

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on the annual holding of the International Municipal Forum (IIF) with the participation of partners from friendly municipalities around the world. Alexey Overchuk, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, was appointed Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the preparation and holding of the event by Decree of the Head of State.

The Forum will become an international business platform for discussing a wide range of issues related to the development of modern cities, not only at the municipal level, but also more broadly within the framework of the bilateral and multilateral format of cooperation between Russia and foreign countries. The MMF will be organized by the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the Government of the Russian Federation.

"In 2025, we held a BRICS Plus/outreach forum, which was attended by over 5,300 people, including 653 mayors and heads of municipalities, 2,500 representatives from 83 regions of Russia, as well as 1,450 foreign participants from 75 countries. In accordance with the Decree of the President of Russia, the forum will be held in a wide format, as Russia's inter-municipal dialogue with partners continues today, aimed at improving economic well-being, quality of life and health of citizens. The Forum will become a practical tool of Russian diplomacy as an element of "soft power" in promoting urban development and establishing links between municipalities around the world, including through twin cities," said Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation.

It is planned that the key areas of discussion at the forum will be issues on the Russian agenda: long-term development and improvement of the quality of the environment of key settlements throughout the country, including specific tools for the development of small towns and historical settlements. Special attention will be paid to the task of training and staffing municipal teams to implement the best practices of urban development. A separate area of the program will be devoted to the development of effective measures to improve the demographic situation and increase the birth rate in cities and towns. Discussions and events on the international agenda will be aimed at strengthening municipal diplomacy and interparliamentary cooperation.