The UN has been involved in matters concerning human reproduction since 1951, when the Indian Government requested assistance from WHO to introduce the rhythm method of family planning. The climate at that time was highly conservative; for example, the suggestion that WHO participate in the UN World Population Conference of 1954 resulted in threats by some member states to quit the organisation. It took more than 10 years before the WHO Director General could publicly state that issues in human reproduction represented a major public health problem. In 1965 WHO established a Human Reproduction Unit with a mandate that included advising member states on family planning.
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