During the first decades following the establishment of the United Nations, population and
development were only beginning to emerge as concerns of the international community.
Demographic data were generally lacking or deficient, as many countries had never conducted a
census. Thus, knowledge of global population trends was limited, while the relationship between
rapid population growth and economic development was only beginning to be explored. Moreover,
fertility and family planning were not generally considered to be appropriate areas for government
intervention. However, by the 1950s, the United Nations had established a programme of
technical assistance in the field of population, focusing on demographic data collection and
analytical studies rather than family planning activities (Gille, 1987). The earliest requests for
technical assistance came from the Governments of Brazil, India, Indonesia and Thailand.