I IMBRICS Forum

The Forum was first held in September 2019 at the Lenexpo Exhibition Complex with the support of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The business program featured 30 sessions. Representatives of municipalities from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa exchanged best practices in territorial development, presented investment projects, and established new business contacts.

The event was attended by over 700 participants. As part of the Forum, a sports program was also conducted, specifically the International Municipal Rugby-7 Tournament among teams from BRICS countries.

II IMBRICS Forum

In 2020, the Forum's business program was organized jointly by various ministries, federal agencies, federal universities, and public organizations of the Russian Federation.

The total number of speakers at the 2020 Forum exceeded 170 individuals, with the number of connected users reaching 3,796. A number of high-ranking officials from BRICS countries delivered speeches as part of the Forum's business sessions, including the Deputy Mayor of São Paulo (Brazil), the Counsellor of the South African Embassy in the Russian Federation, as well as the Consuls General of India and China.In addition to the core "Group of Five" countries, the IMBRICS+ Forum featured speakers and attendees from Italy, Spain, Argentina, Mali, Peru, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Nigeria, Mongolia, Mexico, Egypt, Germany, Estonia, Finland, Denmark, Austria, and other nations.

III IMBRICS Forum

On November 5-6, the III IMBRICS Forum took place in St. Petersburg in an online format. The Forum was initially planned to be held in person; however, due to a rise in coronavirus cases in St. Petersburg, it was shifted to an online format.

The Forum consisted of 24 sessions (video conferences), which featured 235 speakers and moderators. Among the participants in the sessions were: the Mayor of Guarulhos, the Deputy Mayor of Recife (Brazil), the President of the All-India Association of Industries, the Deputy Mayor of Panzhou (China), the Mayor of Palermo (Italy), the Ambassador of the Argentine Republic to Russia, the President of the Chamber of the European Council of Engineers (Austria), and others. The following figures addressed the Forum via video messages: Honorary President of the New Development Bank (BRICS Bank) Kundapur Vaman Kamath, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Head of Rossotrudnichestvo Yevgeny Primakov, Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation Alexey Kudrin, Deputy Mayor of Qingdao (China) Li Jian, and others.

IV IMBRICS Forum

The IV IMBRICS Forum was held on November 24-25, 2022, at the ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Centre in St. Petersburg. The Forum was specifically highlighted in the text of the Beijing Declaration of the XIV BRICS Summit as an event contributing to fostering ties between sister cities of the association within the framework of the Sustainable Development Agenda. The event was attended by 3,179 people from 37 countries, with the number of online connections exceeding 15,000.

The Forum's business program included 40 sessions, 17 round tables, 5 business training sessions, and 21 online sections. The agenda for the first day of the Forum was dedicated to topics such as the development of digitalization processes, the future of alternative energy, urbanism and "smart cities," logistics transformation, the role of NGOs, child safety, and the future of youth. The program for the second day focused on discussing the following themes: charity, the impact of tourism development on the appearance of cities, socio-economic development of municipalities, maintaining population well-being, import substitution, as well as economic recovery in the post-COVID world and the development of international cooperation in an era of global geopolitical changes. A total of 511 speakers addressed the business program, including the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma, the Head of the Representative Office of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the China Chamber of International Commerce, the Governor of Algiers (Algeria), a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa, and the Mayor of Adityapur Municipality (India). Forum participants were also welcomed via video messages by the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Mayor of São Paulo (Brazil), the President of the BRICS International Forum (India), and the Chairman of Shanghai Junjin Asset Management Co. (China).

V IMBRICS Forum

On November 9-10, 2023, ahead of the association's expansion, the anniversary V International Municipal BRICS Forum was held. Participation exceeded 7,000 people from 104 countries, including delegates from over 200 foreign cities. The number of online listeners reached 20,000.

The business program included 123 events dedicated to topics such as digital transformation and AI, sustainable development, urbanism, investments, foreign economic activity, media and communications, national sovereignty, and society. More than 1,340 individuals participated as moderators, speakers, presenters, and experts. Among them were: the Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, the Minister for Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities of South Africa, the Secretary for International Cooperation of the State of Santa Catarina (Brazil), the President of the Eastern Regional Council of Cameroon, as well as the Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Angola and the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Within the framework of the practice of exchanging experience and technologies, 210 cooperation agreements were signed between representatives of municipalities, public organizations, and commercial companies.

In St. Petersburg, the VI IMBRICS Forum, Economic Congress (Fall Session) placed a special emphasis on developing export-import relations and fostering cooperation among the business communities of BRICS cities and partner states. The November event attracted over 3,500 participants and generated significant interest among entrepreneurs from major cities in BRICS countries.

The Forum concluded with the signing of approximately 80 agreements, including those with a Korean business association and representatives of Vietnam, among others. The event was held with the support of the Government of St. Petersburg.

The Acting Governor of St. Petersburg, V. Moskalenko, participated in the Forum's opening ceremony and Plenary Session of the VI IMBRICS Forum, Economic Congress (Fall Session). Additionally, the Vice Governor, S. Kropachev, addressed the official reception. A major segment of the business program, overseen throughout the year by Vice Governor O. Ergashev, was also conducted within the Forum's framework.

VII IMBRICS Forum

On November 20-21, 2025, the VII IMBRICS Forum was held in St. Petersburg. The Forum was organized with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Federal Agency Rossotrudnichestvo, and the Government of St. Petersburg.

The Forum in St. Petersburg was attended by 5,128 participants from 76 countries. The composition of the international delegation was of particular significance: 1,270 official foreign representatives, including 115 official delegates and 680 representatives of international NGOs. The Forum involved 330 representatives of federal agencies, 650 regional representatives, and 1,070 mayors and heads of municipalities.

Business sessions constituted a significant part of the program, with the total number of business participants exceeding 2,565 individuals. Such a high level of participation underscores that the Forum has become a tangible tool for building business bridges and seeking concrete solutions for the sustainable development of cities.