MOSCOW URBAN FORUM — is the largest international congress on the development challenges of global megacities. The Forum has been held annually since 2011.
19 May 2020
#Forum
10th Moscow Urban Forum Rescheduled for 2021
Given the public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 infection and the safety guidelines established by the Government of Moscow to prevent its spread, we have decided to reschedule the Moscow Urban Forum 2020 for next year. The 10th-anniversary Forum and the 2nd Urban Health International Congress will subsequently take place on July 1–4, 2021, at Zaryadye Park.
"We were following the situation closely every day and believed it would be resolved soon. We went on with our preparations as usual, particularly because arranging the 10th Forum required extra focus and twice as much effort to shape the agenda and develop the large-scale invitation campaign for mayors and speakers from around the world. We created a very interesting and rather unique business program, which included the 2nd Urban Health International Congress. We put a lot of work into the exhibition part and the now-traditional special Forum events. While the global community's efforts to combat the virus are starting to yield results, it is still too early to consider organizing mass events. That is why it is not possible to hold a mass international congress such as MUF at the moment," said Moscow Urban Forum director Denis Boykov.
However, Mr. Boykov added that while postponing a project of this scale is a laborious task, all scheduled events — including the business program, the exhibition, the Festival, and other special events — will still take place, and the organizers will keep all their commitments to their partners.
Moreover, the research program will continue, and the results will be presented in July 2020. The study focuses on the "health" of megacities, sustainable development, and the design of human-oriented cities and urban public services.
"We believe that the pandemic will come to an end, that we will return to normal life, and that the 10th MUF will be as joyful as always. For the second year running, we have presented an international agenda at Urban Health which focuses, among other things, on epidemics. These points will evidently remain crucial in 2021, alongside discussion of the impact of the pandemic on the life, economic activity, and urban practices of cities," Boykov added.
"We were following the situation closely every day and believed it would be resolved soon. We went on with our preparations as usual, particularly because arranging the 10th Forum required extra focus and twice as much effort to shape the agenda and develop the large-scale invitation campaign for mayors and speakers from around the world. We created a very interesting and rather unique business program, which included the 2nd Urban Health International Congress. We put a lot of work into the exhibition part and the now-traditional special Forum events. While the global community's efforts to combat the virus are starting to yield results, it is still too early to consider organizing mass events. That is why it is not possible to hold a mass international congress such as MUF at the moment," said Moscow Urban Forum director Denis Boykov.
However, Mr. Boykov added that while postponing a project of this scale is a laborious task, all scheduled events — including the business program, the exhibition, the Festival, and other special events — will still take place, and the organizers will keep all their commitments to their partners.
Moreover, the research program will continue, and the results will be presented in July 2020. The study focuses on the "health" of megacities, sustainable development, and the design of human-oriented cities and urban public services.
"We believe that the pandemic will come to an end, that we will return to normal life, and that the 10th MUF will be as joyful as always. For the second year running, we have presented an international agenda at Urban Health which focuses, among other things, on epidemics. These points will evidently remain crucial in 2021, alongside discussion of the impact of the pandemic on the life, economic activity, and urban practices of cities," Boykov added.