The Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and Other Landmarks in Demographic History

DEMOGRAPHIC CALENDAR CopyrightTkachenko AA. This isan open access article distributed under the terms ofthe Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction inany medium, provided the original author and source are credited The Cairo International Conference onPopulation and Development (ICPD) and Other Landmarks inDemographic History Alexander A. Tkachenko 1 1 Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Moscow, 125167, Russia Received 31May 2025 ♦ Accepted 14August 2025 ♦ Published 25November 2025 Citation: Tkachenko AA(2025) The Cairo International Conference onPopulation and Development (ICPD) and Other Landmarks inDemographic History. Population and Economics 9(4):128-142. https://doi.org/10.3897/ popecon.9.e160794 Abstract This paper discusses anniversary events that we consider important in the field of demography in2024–2025, including the birthdays ofnotable figures and significant conference dates, such asthe International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo, Egypt in 1994, aswell asnotable publications. Keywords international conferences onpopulation, anniversaries ofresearchers, publications, demographic institutions JEL codes: B10, B20, J10 Introduction The year 2024marks the 30th anniversary ofthe last international conference onpopulation held inCairo, Egypt in1994, which undoubtedly went down inhistory. Asnoted inDemographic Encyclopaedia (Demograficheskaya ehnciklopediya 2013: 136), the expansion ofthe conference title compared toprevious similar conferences represented two hypostases (ὑπό-στᾰσις) atonce, although only one word was added, “development”. Firstly, this isa new emphasis byboth the United Nations and the international community onthe problems ofsocial and economic development inthe context ofa growing world population onthe one hand, and the demographic ageing ofthe population ofthe world’s leading economies, onthe other. Secondly, itrecognises the high dependence ofdevelopment and economic growth ingeneral onthe quantitative and qualitative characteristics ofpopulation Population and Economics 9(4): 128–142 DOI 10.3897/popecon.9.e160794 Population and Economics 9(4): 128–142 129 growth. Asignificant part ofthe paper focuses onthe Cairo Conference onPopulation and Development, and then welist some important events inthe history ofdemography– anniversaries ofscientists and memorable studies that have gone down inthe history ofdemographic science. Key points ofthe Cairo Conference International conferences onpopulation have been held for 70years, which isalmost equal tothe world’s population’s average life expectancy atbirth. Asan important international institution for the exchange ofviews between experts and officials/governments from around the world, they are avaluable platform for discussion. The most recent conference, the International Conference onPopulation and Development, hereinafter referred toas ICPD, was held exactly 30years ago inCairo, Egypt. Ithad aprofound impact onthe social development ofcountries and regions, with far-reaching consequences interms ofboth time and space. The ICPD added the term and concept ofdevelopment tothe title ofthe forum itself, becoming aconference onpopulation and development, thus pointing toa paradigm for the future approach topopulation issues, which should beconsidered through the lenses ofdevelopment ofsociety, the economy, the environment, social institutions and government policy onpopulation. An ambitious theme was chosen for the conference: “Population, sustained economic growth and sustainable development.” Looking back over the last 30years, wecan see that the conference’s guidelines have generally been implemented and the population development plans have been fulfilled. However, recent discussions within the UNsystem reveal that, even before the onset ofthe COVID-19pandemic, the principle ofsustainable development had been violated, resulting ina departure from the previously achieved outcomes.1 The ICPD can beviewed asa precursor tothe UNSustainable Development Agenda, adopted 20years later, which sets out 17goals, 169targets and 232unique indicators.2 The ICPD formulated aglobal strategy and action plan onpopulation issues for the beginning ofthe 21st century. These issues encompass all spheres ofhuman life, including family, household, and population ofa territory orcountry. Therefore, setting targets and specific development goals onthis scale will inevitably encroach onthe development objectives ofsociety and the country. This isindependent ofthe nature ofpopulation reproduction and the ideological foundations ofthe national economic development/growth model. It isnoteworthy that the ICPD adopted the Programme ofAction (United Nations 1995) designed for 20years and approved byall the 179participating countries, and 20years later, in2015, the UNadopted anew programme ofaction, the 2030Agenda for Sustainable Development (The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2018), encompassing the totality ofhuman life: environment, economy, family well-being, social development and social inclusion. The seventeen UNSustainable Development Goals for 2030adopted aspart ofthe Agenda replaced the UNMillennium Development Goals (MDGs). Itis also worth noting 1 Shulla K(2021) The COVID-19pandemic and the achievement ofthe SDGs. In: Virtual Inter-agency Expert Group Meeting onImplementation ofthe Third United Nations Decade for the Eradication ofPoverty (20182027) “Accelerating Global Actions for aWorld without Poverty” 24-27May 2021. URL: https://www.un.org/ development/desa/dspd/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2021/05/Shulla_paper1.pdf 2 UNSDGs, which have been cited inall papers onthe Cairo Conference written after 2014. A.A. Tkachenko: The Cairo International Conference onPopulation and Development (ICPD) and Other Landmarks inDemographic History 130 that inhonour ofthe ICPD’s 20th anniversary, the Programme ofAction was republished in2004with anew Introduction (United Nations 2014: 221-296). The ICPD was recognised asa landmark that enabled countries toreach auniversal consensus byplacing human rights above all else. Following the ICPD, the goals set out inthe Programme ofAction, namely ensuring universal education and reduction ofinfant, child, and maternal mortality, were monitored bythe UNagencies and summarised inreports submitted every five years. The ICPD was the last one ina series ofconferences held over seventy years.3 There were many reasons for this, including the titanic efforts required from not only the UNand its agencies, but also from host countries inpreparing for and receiving somany government delegations, aswell asnew UNinitiatives addressing population issues, and the emergence ofnew technologies ofcommunication and organisation ofsummits. Rather than asubstitution for the ICPD, international conferences ofparliamentarians began tobe held tofollow upon the implementation ofthe ICPD’s Programme ofAction. In2002, the parliamentarians adopted the Ottawa Statement ofCommitment, positioning themselves asrepresentatives ofpublic interests, legislators, and executive officers, whereby they committed towork towards the ICPD Programme ona systematic basis and actively monitor the progress inthe population sector. Since 2002, eight International Parliamentarians’ Conferences onthe Implementation ofthe ICPD Programme ofAction have been held: Ottawa (2002), Strasbourg (2004), Bangkok (2006), Addis Ababa (2009), Istanbul (2012), Stockholm (2014), Ottawa (2018).4 In Bangkok, the parliamentarians reiterated that the international community had taken aconcerted decision toallocate funds onan annual basis for the implementation ofprogrammes inthe population and reproductive health sector indeveloping countries. Itshould beremembered, however, that reproductive health issues concern the populations ofall countries, including highly developed ones. Wewould also like tohighlight two statements made inBangkok: today, more than 350million married couples donot have full access tofamily planning services, and population growth indeveloping countries continues toincrease the burden onthe environment.5 Wedeem these realities tobe important for better understanding the positive shifts inthe mindset ofthe global community and decision-makers that have taken place since the ICPD. In 2024, aconference ofparliamentarians from all regions ofthe world was held inOslo, Norway, ashighlighted inthe Oslo Statement ofCommitment, which took stock ofthe thirty years that passed since the ICPD. The meeting adopted the Oslo Statement ofCommitment under the striking title “Life orDeath isa Political Decision,” which noted the progress made inadopting new legislations, policies, and programmes. One can agree with the main message ofthe statement: “Our successes have placed individual dignity and human rights atthe center ofdevelopment”6 but atthe same time, the indicators ofabove mentioned successes are noteworthy asthey are– they include women’s access tocontraceptives, the number ofgirls having access toeducation, reduction inthe 3 This isnot counting the first World Population Conference held inGeneva in1927. See: (Demograficheskaya ehnciklopediya 2013: 564-565). 4 Clearly, Ottawa’s decision tohold the conferences once every two years has not been implemented asintended. 5 There are significant differences of opinion between developed and developing countries on issues ofenvironmental balance (Tkachenko 2021: 24-27). 6 Oslo Statement ofCommitment. The 8th International Parliamentarians’ Conference onthe Implementation ofthe ICPD Programme ofAction (IPCI/ICPD) (2024) URL: https://ipciconference.org/. Population and Economics 9(4): 128–142 131 number ofchild marriages. These largely pertain not even todeveloping countries assuch, but tothe poorest among them. Webelieve that the UN(UNFPA) isprimarily focused onthe world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries and territories, while the common problems ofthe global community are pushed into the background. The Eighth Parliamentary Conference demonstrated the convergence ofissues related tothe implementation ofthe ICPD Programme ofAction and the UNSDGs onthe path towards 2030.7 However, the main objective isdefined asmobilising resources and creating favourable conditions for sexual and reproductive health and rights. Webelieve that this rather narrows the main idea ofthe Cairo Summit onDevelopment, although reproductive rights8 are one ofthe components ofdevelopment inthe population sector. The ICPD isthe subject matter ofspecial reports byUNFPA published in2004(State of World Population 2004) and in 2011 (State of World Population 2011); besides, the UNmonitors progress inachieving the ICPD goals on11indicators across all countries ofthe world, the findings ofwhich are published regularly. UNFPA conferences have provided five-year implementation reviews ofthe Programme ofAction, with inputs not only from national institutions but also from adiverse range ofstakeholders who were involved inthe discussions through UN-held events and dialogues. Experts onthe role and significance ofthe ICPD John Wilmoth and Julia Bunting,9 leading UNexperts onpopulation, summarised the outcomes ofthe thirty years since the ICPD. They believe that new leaders need toreaffirm their commitment tothe ICPD agenda. They noted that the following have become integral components ofaddressing population issues for all participating governments: sexual and reproductive health, reproductive rights, gender equality, environmental sustainability, and international cooperation, which were recognised asintegral components ofaddressing population issues and achieving the development goals formulated bygovernments.10 Three decades later, the outcomes ofthe ICPD, primarily the Programme ofAction, are considered tobe anoutstanding success based onthe evolution ofkey indicators such asinfant mortality, which has been halved; maternal mortality, which has fallen by34% over the period; and the number ofwomen using contraception, which has doubled.11 The UNexperts emphasise that population issues have been incorporated into national development strategies incountries around the world, and that governments’ commitments tocollecting demographic data have enabled policymakers tomake informed decisions. 7 Oslo Statement ofCommitment “Life orDeath isa Political Decision”. URL: https://www.epfweb.org/sites/ default/files/2024-04/Oslo%20Statement%20of%20Commitment_12%20April%202024%2012_00%20pm%20 -%20with%20logo%20%281%29.pdf 8 This may beone ofthe most pressing issues, particularly inthe developing world, but itis not akey development issue for the global population asa whole. 9 John Wilmoth isDirector, Population Division, United Nations Department ofEconomic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). Julia Bunting isDirector, Programme Division, UNFPA. 10 Wilmoth J, Bunting J(2024) Thirty Years On, Leaders Need toRecommit tothe International Conference onPopulation and Development Agenda. UNChronicle. 26April 2024. https://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/ thirty-years-leaders-need-recommit-international-conference-population-and-development. 11 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Family Planning 2022: Meeting the changing needs for family planning: Contraceptive use by age and method. UNDESA/POP/2022/TR/NO. 4. Р. i. A.A. Tkachenko: The Cairo International Conference onPopulation and Development (ICPD) and Other Landmarks inDemographic History 132 The role ofthe ICPD regarding reproductive health, the definition ofwhich, asnoted byV.Sakevich, was formulated and introduced into international practice precisely bythe materials ofthis global forum, isof historical significance (Sakevich 2018). Family planning was atthe centre ofthe most heated and often irreconcilable debates. Despite the subtle interpretation ofthis inmany ways fundamental concept oreven phenomenon bythe UNSecretariat experts, opponents offamily planning assuch have argued that family planning aims tolimit fertility incountries where itis high, and this point ofview isstill not infrequent12. This incorrect assertion allows for family planning tobe characterised asa state intervention, implemented through official policy, which infringes upon the reproductive rights ofthe family. There isgrowing recognition among experts ofthe importance oflocal/municipal authorities inaddressing the complex issues inthe implementation ofthe ICPD Programme ofAction. Effective local governance and equitable delivery oflocal public services are crucial for tailoring actions tothe unique needs ofcommunities, ensuring sustainable development and promoting inclusivity. Wealso believe that the uniqueness oflocal authorities/ municipalities inaddressing the problems oflocal population stems from the higher effectiveness oftheir actions resulting from their better knowledge ofproblems and needs ofthe local population. In 2024, the UNexperts wrote: “While our demographic trends diverge, our fates remain intertwined.”13 Webelieve that “intertwined fates” and “supporting those hardest toreach” donot suggest anever-increasing reliance onsupport from the most developed countries tothe least developed, nor anescalating demand for such support. Rather, they should refer tothe most socially vulnerable members ofsociety. For example, inorder tofulfil the UNSDG onenvironmental sustainability, the Fund for Responding toLoss and Damage was established atCOP2814 (2023) tohelp vulnerable populations inthe least developed countries. The Fund isexpected toallocate approximately К100billion annually tothose countries tohelp them cope with the effects ofclimate change. The Fund’s total commitments exceed К660million, which isconsidered insufficient toaddress the inevitable and irreversible consequences ofthe climate emergency. Some estimates ofthe required financial coverage are significantly higher, reaching upto К400billion per year (Vaidyanathan 2024). A brief history ofdemographic institutions and societies It isthe 95th anniversary ofthe Population Association ofAmerica (PAA), anon-profit research professional association that studies issues associated with population and demography. The PAA was founded byH.P. Fairchild,15 aresearcher onrace relations, abortion, contraception, immigration, one ofthe founders ofPlanned Parenthood, president ofthe American Eugenics Society (1929–1931), and F.H.Osborn, awell-known eugenics researcher inthe post-WWII period. The Milbank Memorial Fund, acharitable fund fo12 For example, the Institute for Family Studies has levelled such attacks atthe United Nations Fund for Population Activities report (State ofWorld Population 2023). 13 Wilmoth J, Bunting J(2024) Thirty Years On, Leaders Need toRecommit tothe International Conference onPopulation and Development Agenda. UNChronicle. 26April 2024. https://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/ thirty-years-leaders-need-recommit-international-conference-population-and-development. 14 Annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, orConference ofthe Parties - COP. 15 In2025, wecommemorate the 145th anniversary ofhis birth. Population and Economics 9(4): 128–142 133 cusing onpublic health policy, provided the funding. During its early years, the PAA was acoalition ofpopulation scientists, advocates ofactive birth control measures, supporters ofimmigration restrictions, and eugenicists. Itholds annual conferences, the first ofwhich was held inNew York inApril 1932. The PAA has sponsored such notable conferences asthe Conference onPopulation Estimates held inNew York City in1935, which was attended byEleanor Roosevelt, and the conference “Integrating Genetics and the Social Sciences” held atthe Institute ofBehavioral Science onthe University ofColorado Boulder campus in2013. The PAA publishes Demography, apremier journal established in1964, issued six times annually byDuke University Press, and recognised globally for its authoritative research onpopulation dynamics and demographic trends. L’Institut national d’études démographiques (INED, The French Institute for Demographic Studies), which was established bya decree ofthe French government under DeGaulle in1945, iscelebrating its 80th anniversary.16 The Institute isworld-renowned asone ofthe main centres ofdemographic research and has collaborated with Russian researchers and demographic institutions. Monographs byINED staff members have been published inRussia, among others, ondemographic processes inRussia. The INED’s contribution toresearch into Russian demographic history and identification of many gaps there is particularly noteworthy. The French government’s interest inan institution like the INED, asevidenced bygovernment decrees of1945and 198617 , may serve asa role model for other countries. The European Doctoral School ofDemography celebrates its 20th anniversary. Each year, students with diverse academic backgrounds ranging from mathematics and statistics tobiology and history enrol inthe School’s 11-month programme toacquire high-quality knowledge indemography asthey get prepared for their doctoral studies. The training takes place attwo leading European demography research institutions: the basic preparatory courses take place atthe Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research while the core courses, atthe French Institute for Demographic Studies. Apart from training per se, the School considers itimportant that the students enjoy excellent networking opportunities inthe community ofrecognised demographers across Europe. The School operates under the auspices ofthe European Association for Population Studies. The training programme isalso supported by17leading European organisations inthe field ofdemography, including universities and research centres, who provide teachers, administrative staff, consulting mentors, scholarships, and coverage ofrelated expenses. Each year, 15-20doctoral students graduate from the School with anexpertise inmathematical demography, theory, and policy. The anniversary will becelebrated atthe European Population Conference 2026, tobe held inBologna, Italy, on3-6June 2026. Milestones inResearch: Celebrating Historic Publication Anniversaries It is130years ofthe study byErnst Engel (Engel, Christian Lorenz Ernst) “Die Lebenskosten belgischer Arbeiter-Familien früher und jetzt”. In1895, this famous German statistician18 who taught statistics atthe University ofBerlin alongside his main work, published 16 Ordonnance n°45-2499du24octobre 1945creation del’Institut qui sesubstitue ala“fondation francaise pour l’etude des problemes humains”. 17 Décret n°86-382 du 12 mars 1986 portant organisation et fonctionnement de l’Institut national d’études démographiques. 18 For more details see: (Tkachenko 2017). A.A. Tkachenko: The Cairo International Conference onPopulation and Development (ICPD) and Other Landmarks inDemographic History 134 aseminal paper onthe cost ofliving for Belgian working-class families. The author, based onan analysis offamily budgets ofBelgian workers using data provided byE.A. von Ducpetiaux, identified patterns that became known inresearch and practice asEngel’s law (Engel 1895). Itwas first formulated in1857and still plays animportant role inthe study ofincome differentiation among families and households. Engel’s research aimed tofind conditions for the balanced development ofproduction and consumption that would correspond topopulation growth, i.e. the so-called law ofpopulation. Tothis end, Engel studied Malthusian population theory and the sectoral distribution oflabour. Regretfully, the authors ofnumerous definitions ofthe “socialist law ofpopulation” did not seem tohave been familiar with E. Engel’s works. Contemporary demographers, sociologists, and economists should begrateful toEngel, who was the first toformulate inthe above paper the “adult consumption equivalent” (Grings 2007) byweighing the consumption ofindividual household members according toage and gender. This study isstill relevant today for estimating the household income elasticity for food (Benda-Prokeinová etal. 2017). 170years ago, abook bythe French statistician and demographer Achille Guillard was published inParis, where heused the word “demography” for the first time. The very title ofthe book, Eléments destatistique humaine oudémographie comparée oùsont exposés les principes dela science nouvelle, etconfrontés, d’après les documents les plus authentiques, l’état, les mouvements généraux etles progrès dela population dans les pays civilisés (Guillard 1855), states that itsets forth the principles ofthe new field ofscience, comparative demography. Two years before the book was published, Guillard spoke atthe first session ofthe International Statistical Congress inBrussels, Belgium, outlining the principles oforganisation ofpopulation statistics. The book has been republished inthe Forgotten Books series; the latest edition was out in2019. The book has not been translated into Russian19. It is80years since the publication ofthe book Ocherki poistorii statistiki 17-18vekov (Essays onthe History ofStatistics inthe 17th and 18th Centuries) byMikhail Vasilyevich Ptukha (Ptukha 1945), corresponding member ofthe USSR Academy ofSciences (1943), founder and director ofthe Institute ofDemography ofthe Academy ofSciences ofUkraine (1919-1934). The book specifically focuses ondemographic development inFrance from the mid-18th tothe early 19th century (Section VII), population statistics ofSweden (Section VI) and the works bypolitical arithmeticians20. 55 years ago, Boris Urlanis wrote his famous paper Beregite muzhchin! (Take Care ofMen!)21 introducing the concept ofmale supermortality into the Russian demography. In1968, the year ofits publication, the gap inlife expectancy between men and women inthe USSR was eight years. Bythe year this prominent Russian demographer died, the gap had grown to10.2years, and the maximum gap of13.6years occurred in2005. The gap was nearly the same at13.5years in1995and 2004, which was the clear sign ofthe demographic crisis. The problem raised inthe above paper and the challenge formulated byB.Urlanis regarding male supermortality remain acute and highly relevant more than half acentury later. 19 A copy of the original (422 pages) is available at: https://dn790002.ca.archive.org/0/items/ lmentsdestatist01guilgoog/lmentsdestatist01guilgoog.pdf. 20 The book isavailable at: https://www.booksite.ru/fulltext/184377/index.html. 21 Urlanis B(1968) Beregite muzhchin [Take Care ofMen]. Literaturnaya gazeta N30. 24July 1968. Population and Economics 9(4): 128–142 135 Honouring Milestones: Anniversaries ofResearchers WhoShapedDemography It is405years since the birth ofJohn Graunt (1620-1674), the founder ofdemographic research, anEnglish statistician who was asuccessful haberdasher before Great Fire ofLondon in1666(Demograficheskaya ehnciklopediya 2013: 198-199). Graunt’s book Natural and Political Observations Made upon the Bills ofMortality (Graunt 1662), which analysed statistics onthe natural movement ofLondon’s population, isconsidered tohave had asignificant influence onthe pioneering demographic work ofWilliam Petty and, even more importantly, asBritannica points out,22 that ofEdmond Halley. Analysing mortality records inLondon parishes based ondata since 1532, hediscovered aregularity incertain phenomena inmortality statistics, which inspired his famous work. The book went through four editions during the author’s lifetime, the third ofwhich was published in1665bythe Royal Society, ofwhich Graunt was afounding member. The fifth edition, published after the author’s death in1676, contained anote added tothe title: [Sometimes attributed toSir W.Petty]. Graunt classified mortality rates according tocauses ofdeath and showed that mortality rates incities exceed those inrural areas, and that the higher rate ofmen’s births isoffset bymen’s higher mortality. The mortality table isconsidered tobe his most important innovation: byusing only two survival indicators, upto 6and upto 76years, heprojected the percentages ofpeople who lived toreach each subsequent age and their life expectancy. It is270years since the birth ofIvan Filippovich Herman (born Benedikt Franz Johann von Hermann), aforeign (Austrian) honorary member ofthe Russian Imperial Academy ofSciences (1786), who was also amember ofseven other foreign academies and societies. Ascientist and engineer possessing versatile and profound knowledge, hewas inRussian service since 1782. Heis the author ofthe work Hermann Benedikt Franz Johann (1790) Statistische Schilderung von Russland, inRücksicht auf Bevölkerung, Landesbeschaffenheit, Naturprodukte, Landwirtschaft, Bergbau, Manufakturen und Handel. St. Petersburg; Leipzig. 488s.) (“Statistical Description ofRussia inTerms ofPopulation, Land Characteristics, Natural Products, Agriculture, Mining, Manufacturing and Trade”)23. Healso put forward the idea of“single-day population registration,” which was implemented during the First General Census ofthe Russian Empire in1897. In1806, the Academy ofSciences’ Statistical Journal published his work Onarodonaselenii. Osostavlenii Iupotreblenii narodnykh tablits (“On Population. Onthe Compilation and Use ofPopulation Tables”). Hewrote the history ofstatistics onnatural population movement, starting with the time ofPeter I, inhis work “Memoir onBirths, Marriages and Deaths inSome Provinces and Cities ofRussia” (in French), pointing out the importance ofthe unity ofthese statistics with other branches ofstatistics for maximum benefit.24 It is190years since the birth ofYuliy Eduardovich Yanson, researcher, educator, statistician, political economist and demographer (population statistics), Doctor ofPolitical Econ22 John Graunt. URL: https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Graunt 23 Available from the Electronic Library ofthe State Public Historical Library ofRussia at: http://elib.shpl.ru/ ru/nodes/26397-hermann-v-f-j-statistische-schilderung-von-russland-in-rucksicht-auf-bevolkerunglandesbeschaffenheit-naturprodukte-landwirthschaft-bergbau-manufakturen-und-handel-st-petersburgleipzig-1790. 24 250 let so dnya rozhdeniya Ivana Filippovicha Germana (1755 - 1815) [250th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Filippovich German]. Demoscope Weekly. N 205-206, 2005. URL: https://www.demoscope.ru/ weekly/2005/0205/nauka01.php. A.A. Tkachenko: The Cairo International Conference onPopulation and Development (ICPD) and Other Landmarks inDemographic History 136 omy and Statistics (1871), professor (1873), corresponding member ofthe Russian Imperial Academy ofSciences (1892), member ofthe International Statistical Institute. During his nearly 30years ofteaching inSt. Petersburg, hewas dean ofthe Faculty ofLaw and served asrector ofthe Imperial St. Petersburg University. In1872, atthe Eighth International Statistical Congress (St. Petersburg), hepresented areport entitled “On the Registration and Publication ofFacts ofNatural Population Movement.”25 In1873, hepublished four works ondemography inthe journal Znanie (Knowledge): onbirth rates, onmortality (two), and onmarriages. In1878, the first volume ofYanson’s Comparative Statistics, focusing onpopulation statistics, was published. The Theory ofStatistics (1891, third edition) was awarded the full prize ofthe Imperial Academy ofSciences and Count D.A. Tolstoy Gold Medal (1892). Heestablished sanitary statistics atthe St. Petersburg City Duma (Council) and initiated acampaign for the organisation ofpublic relief for the poor. Having organised and headed the St. Petersburg Statistical Bureau, heintroduced acard-based system for collecting economic and demographic data onpopulation broken down bysocial strata. Heorganised the 1881and 1890population censuses inSt. Petersburg, which were successful ina remarkable way, “unlike other cities inRussia orindeed many cities inWestern Europe” (Georgievsky 1893). The methodology used inthese censuses served asa basis for the papers hewrote for the magazine Severny Vestnik, entitled “Ob ustroystve perepisey vgorodakh” (On the organisation ofcensuses incities) and “O tekhnike perepisey naseleniya vprimenenii krusskim gorodam” (On the population census technique asapplied toRussian cities) (1891). It is130years since the birth ofGrigory Abramovich Batkis, corresponding member ofthe USSR Academy ofMedical Sciences (1945), healthcare official inthe 1930s–1950s, specialist in social hygiene and sanitary statistics. In the 1920s, he laid the foundation for acourse onSoviet social hygiene inuniversity education (Moscow State University). Hepublished asummary ofhis methodological work during his creative life in“Anamnesticheskiy metod vdemograficheskoy statistike” (The Anamnestic Method inDemographic Statistics) (Batkis 1959). It is120years since the birth ofMikhail Veniaminovich Kurman. Hestarted his career instatistics under the guidance ofS.A. Novoselsky and V.V. Paevsky. Development oftables representing the demographic catastrophe inthe USSR inthe 1930s was his historical achievement. Bycombining economic and sociological approaches tothe study ofstaff turnover inenterprises, hecoined the term social migration. Hewas aunique personality– after hewas repressed for his extraordinarily bold behaviour and removed from society for 18.5years, hewas morally and physically strong enough toresume creative work inresearch, teaching, and service instatistical agencies. His repression was triggered byhis memo defending the findings ofthe 1937census. His last monograph was published in1976dealing with topical issues indemography. During his last years, heparticipated indiscussions onmethodological approaches tothe publication ofthe world’s first demographic encyclopaedic dictionary. It is 120th anniversary of the birth and 50th anniversary of the death of Vladimir Nikonovich Starovsky, corresponding member ofthe USSR Academy ofSciences (1958), long-serving head ofthe USSR statistical service (1940-1975), who made asignificant contribution tothe preparation and conduct ofpopulation censuses, starting with the 1939cen25 The original title “Enregistrement etpublication des faits relatifs aumouvement dela population”was published inthe Congress Report.