Over 200 heads of municipalities from 21 countries will come together to participate in the highly anticipated International Forum of Cities of BRICS+ Countries, scheduled to take place on 21 June in Russia's Kazan.
The countries include China, India, South Africa, Brazil, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Egypt, Turkiye, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Argentina, Chile, Morocco, Indonesia, and Mexico, the press service for the Kazan Mayor's Office reported.
President of the Brazilian Association of Municipalities, Ari Jose Vanazzi; President of the South African Local Government Association, Bheke Stofile; and Director General of the Association of Cities of Ethiopia, Ato Andualem Tenaw Habti, have confirmed their participation.
Additionally, Secretary General of the Latin American Federation of Cities, Municipalities, and Local Government Associations, Sergio Arredondo Olvera; Iranian Secretary General of the Asian Mayors Forum, Hamidreza Gholamzadeh, and others will also attend the event.
Organised by Kazan City Hall with the support of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, and Rossotrudnichestvo, the idea of creating a new organization was previously proposed by the mayor of Kazan, Ilsur Metshin.
The forum will include a discussion session on inter-municipal and international cooperation, agreements on cooperation and twinning between cities will be signed, as well as between local government associations, and bilateral working meetings will be held.
The forum will begin the formation of the Association of BRICS+ Cities that aims to intensify cooperation in the economy, culture, education and ecology, and focus on sustainable urban growth and innovative city management strategies.