IUSSP Receives 2025 United Nations Population AwardUnited Nations, New York, 11 July 2025
The International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) was honoured with the 2025 United Nations Population Award in the Institutional Category at a ceremony held at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Presenting the award, Dr. Natalia Kanem, UNFPA Executive Director, described the IUSSP as a global leader in advancing the scientific study of population since its founding in 1928. She emphasized the Union’s long history of promoting international collaboration and exchange among population researchers and policymakers, helping to build capacity in demography both globally and nationally.
Dr. Kanem highlighted IUSSP’s role in fostering the creation of regional population associations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and in supporting innovation and diversity within the field through its Early Career Award for emerging scholars. She also noted the Union’s work to address pressing population challenges such as forced migration and family planning in urban contexts, and its convening of the International Population Conference every four years as a platform for global knowledge exchange.
Since 1975, she observed, IUSSP has produced over 250 publications that have informed policy development on demographic issues. “Congratulations to the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population, 2025 Laureate in the Institutional Category,” she concluded.
Accepting the award on behalf of the Union, IUSSP President-elect Laura Rodriguez Wong expressed gratitude for the recognition of nearly a century of contributions by population scientists worldwide (Read Laura Wong's speech). She recalled the Union’s historic role in advancing demographic research, from supporting the development of global fertility and health surveys to contributing to the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). She emphasized IUSSP’s continuing efforts to strengthen data systems, improve civil registration, and engage with global challenges such as fertility decline, ageing, migration, and the demographic impacts of climate change.
Looking to the future, she underlined the Union’s commitment to fostering scientific collaboration, engaging early-career scholars, and ensuring that demographic knowledge informs policy and practice—especially in the Global South. “This award encourages us to continue promoting peace, dignity, and equality on a healthy planet,” she said.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of UN Member States, officials from UN agencies, and members of the diplomatic and scientific communities. Many IUSSP members based in the New York region were also present and joined in celebrating this important recognition for the Union. 
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