The first ever World Population Conference was held at the Salle Centrale, Geneva, Switzerland, from 29 August to 3 September 1927. Organized by the forerunner of the United Nations, the League of Nations, and Margaret Sanger; the conference was an attempt to bring together international experts on population, food supply, fertility, migration and health to discuss the problem of human overpopulation. The conference was organized with funds donated by Sanger's husband, J. Noah Slee, as well as a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.[1] Sir. Bernard Mallet presided over the meeting, and William H. Welch was vice-president.
The conference was attended by delegates from all over the world, promoted the study of human population and led to the establishment of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population.
Since the United Nations officially came into existence in 1945, five subsequent conferences on population have been held.[2]