On 28 January 2026, the 94th Winter Meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) commenced in Washington, D.C. (the United States).

During three days, mayors of hundreds of American cities, government officials, business leaders, representatives of international organisations, and experts gathered in the US capital to discuss key challenges of urban development – from economic transformation and workforce development to the use of artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability, and global cooperation between communities.

At this year'’s summit, Ukraine is represented by Mykola Riznyk, Head of the Opishnia community in Poltava region, who is participating in the international panel ‘How Cities are Shaping Global Affairs’. Participants in this session will discuss the role of municipalities in international relations, post-crisis recovery, strengthening partnerships and developing local diplomacy.

Speakers include the mayors of San Antonio, Washington, Kumamoto (Japan), Opishnia (Ukraine), as well as representatives of the European Union and the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

Mykola Riznyk commented to the Decentralisation portal:

‘Today, Ukrainian communities are at the forefront of modern local self-government. We are saving lives, supporting the economy, and rebuilding our cities during the war. There is no comparable experience anywhere else in the world, which is why it is important that our international partners are aware of it. We have come to share stories of resilience and to build new relationships that will help Ukrainian communities to recover faster, as well as to attract the resources and knowledge needed for future development.’

He added that the participation of Ukrainian representatives in such international forums strengthens Ukraine’s position in global municipal networks and contributes to the strengthening of partnerships for reconstruction.

The conference programme includes dozens of thematic panels, including ‘Cities Implementing Climate Solutions’, ‘The Future of the Knowledge Economy’, ‘Partnerships between Cities and Universities’, ‘Artificial Intelligence in Urban Management’, among others.

For reference: The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official association of mayors of American cities with a population of over 30,000. The organisation is a platform for developing solutions on urban development, partnerships with the federal government, and international cooperation.

The participation of the Ukrainian delegation in the 94th Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors was facilitated by the systematic work of BIG.U (Business Incubator Group Ukraine), an organisation that acts as an integrator and consulting centre for communities.

Through business diplomacy tools, BIG.U transforms its international contacts into stable horizontal ties, building practical ‘bridges’ between Ukrainian municipalities, scientific institutions, civil society institutions, and businesses with partners from the United States, Great Britain, and Canada.

BIG.U's key areas of activity are scaling up its long-standing cooperation with Texas as part of the global Bridge to Prosperity initiative, as well as systematically implementing programmes to support international inter-municipal cooperation and territorial development in Ukrainian communities based on the Community Wealth Building model.

This approach allows international partnerships to be transformed from declarations into effective mechanisms for cross-sectoral cooperation, to form deep sectoral synergies and to convert business diplomacy into tangible tools for the economic revitalisation of communities and the strengthening of national security.