The IUSSP, an international professional association of over 2000 demographic and health specialists in 140 countries, provides a forum for researchers, teachers, administrators, policymakers, and stakeholders interested in the scientific study of population and health and the improvement of global population and health indicators.

Everybody cares about health. It is overwhelmingly acknowledged as a basic "good" in public opinion surveys, and governments at all levels seek to provide health services for their citizens. Moreover, people, the ultimate stakeholders, devote a significant share of their own resources to improving their health and nutrition. As a result the health industry is one of the largest sectors in all countries and a wide array of professionals, managers, administrators, service providers, and others work in this industry directed toward achieving good health for all. The IUSSP is the international professional association of professionals involved in the study of demography and working to improve health and population indicators. This global network provides members in different countries with the information, data and resources they need to contribute to improved population and health policies and practices. The IUSSP organizes international meetings annually on critical health problems that bring together experts studying these problems in a neutral forum. That IUSSP members care about this network is supported by the fact that they annually renew their IUSSP membership and pay their dues. That the international funding community views the IUSSP as providing valuable health information is testified to by the fact that funding agencies regularly contribute financial support to the IUSSP toward the costs of its $700,000-$1,000,000 annual budget.

A critical component of the international health effort includes the social scientists who work behind the scenes to generate the data needed to measure international, national and local health trends and status, and do the data analyses that provide the evaluation and feedback regarding what works to those who manage and decide how scarce health resources should be used. The social science professionals who do this research are mainly demographers working in diverse disciplines. As Secretary-General and Treasurer of the IUSSP from 2002-2005, I was in daily contact with the IUSSP 5-person Secretariat in Paris and regularly consulted with other members of the IUSSP Executive Committee, the Council and chairs of IUSSP scientific groups. In July 2005 the IUSSP held its XXVth International Population Conference in Tours, France. Over 2000 social scientists attended the Conference and presented their research and policy findings. For further information on the Conference, see http://www.iussp.org/France2005. Cornell University is acknowledged on the IUSSP website as one of the major contributors to the organization of the Conference.

Most of the impacts of IUSSP work on health status and policy would be considered to be indirect impacts. Impacts of IUSSP work can be measured by the increasing number of invitations being received by the IUSSP for data and information on population and health issues. Other indirect impacts result from IUSSP sponsored meetings. For instance in 2005, IUSSP professionals contributed to generation and analysis of the data which led to improved global estimates of HIV/AIDS trends. The IUSSP XXVth International Population Conference was an excellent opportunity to share and disseminate population and health information to specialists throughout the world.

All funding is channelled through the IUSSP. Support was received in 2005 from government bilateral agencies, United Nations, Hewlett Foundation and the Gates Foundation.