Population Concern

The collection comprises administrative records (minutes, agendas), conferences, publications, correspondence and some press cuttings. The largest section (SA/POP/C) contains information on the projects funded overseas, these have been sorted chronologically and then alphabetically by each country, in keeping with their original order.

The films have all been transferred to digital tape and DVD formats and can be viewed in the library or Moving Image and Sound Collection.

1970-1997

38 boxes, 4 digital items, 35 16mm films, 2 audioreels

Arranged in Sections A-D as follows:

A: Administrative and Organisational Records

B: Information and Education

C: Overseas Department

D: Films

The records were donated to the library at Wellcome Collection in 1998.

The organisation was first formed as a joint project by the Family Planning Association (FPA) and the Simon Population Trust in 1971. In the UK at the time there was no charity solely dedicated to the global population crisis. The organisation changed names regularly over the years, in the first instance from Family Planning International Campaigns Steering Committee to the Population CountDown Campaign Committee in 1973.

In 1976 the organisation (now just called the Population Countdown Campaign) became a completely separate body, sponsored by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and the FPA. The name was changed again to Population Concern in 1977. During the 1970s and 1980s the charity was responsible for sourcing and allocating funding to several overseas projects, particularly in Asia, Africa and South America. The focus was on family planning, sexual health, over population problems and women's health. There were also several projects in the UK relating to education programmes and databases to be used in schools as well as fundraising.

In 1991 Population Concern achieved independent charitable status and in April 2003 became Interact Worldwide to reflect an increasingly rights based approach to sexual and reproductive health issues. In 2009 the charity merged with Plan UK but still remains an autonomous organisation.

More information can be found on Interact Worldwide's website.

At Wellcome Collection:

Readers interested in the subject of family planning and population will also find relevant material in the following collections: the Abortion Law Reform Association (SA/ALR), the Birth Control Campaign (SA/BCC), the Family Planning Association (SA/FPA), the Population Investigation Committee (SA/PIC) and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health (SA/PGP).

This collection has been catalogued and is available to library members. Some items have access restrictions which are explained in the item-level catalogue records.

Some abbreviations used in the collection:

CDS, Centre for Development Services
CFPA, Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation
EEC, European Economic Community
FGAE, Federal Guidance Association of Ethiopia
FPA, Famly Planning Association
FPAB, Family Planning Association of Bangladesh
FPAP, Family Planning Association of Pakistan
GFPA, Gambia Family Planning Association
GRPA, Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association
IPPF, International Planned Parenthood Federation
PVHNA, Pakistan Voluntary Health and Nutrition Association
ODA, Overseas Development of Administration
UNFPA, United Nations Fund for Population Activities (now United Nations Population Fund)
WAY, World Assembly of Youth
WIF, Worldview International Foundation