From 25 to 27 September 2026, the First Eurasian Demographic Forum was held in Harbin, the largest city in Northeast China and the administrative centre of Heilongjiang Province
The activities of the new international academic community began with the international scientific conference “Demographic Development of the Countries of North-East and Central Asia: Trends, Challenges, Solutions.” The founders and organizers of the forum included the Institute of the Russian Language at Heilongjiang University, the Center for Eurasian Demographic and Migration Studies, and the Institute of Social Demography.
The forum was attended by Konstantin V. Cherepanov, Candidate of Historical Sciences and Head of the Department of the History of Kazakhstan in the 20th Century at the Ch. Ch. Valikhanov Institute of History and Ethnology.
The working visit took place within the framework of grant-funded project AP23488712, “Everyday Life in Small and Single-Industry Towns of Independent Kazakhstan: The Case of the Eastern Region.”
Representing the Ch. Ch. Valikhanov Institute of History and Ethnology, Konstantin Cherepanov delivered a paper entitled “Demographic Dynamics in Small Towns of Eastern Kazakhstan in the First Half of the 2020s.” The paper was presented during the session “Demographic Development and Transformation of Population Structure in North-East and Central Asia.”
In his presentation, the researcher outlined the findings of a study on demographic processes in the small towns of Eastern Kazakhstan. He examined changes in population size and structure and identified the key trends affecting the contemporary development of urban communities in the region.
The forum brought together researchers, university lecturers, government officials, and representatives of international and non-governmental organizations. Participants discussed demographic development and changes in population structure, family policy, human capital development, migration processes, and population mobility in the context of digitalization.
Participation in the international academic event provided an opportunity to present and discuss the findings obtained during the implementation of the project, introduce them to the international expert community, and address current issues related to the study of Kazakhstan’s small towns within the broader context of demographic processes in Central Asia.
Following the conference, Kazakhstani historian Konstantin Cherepanov received a certificate of participation confirming the presentation of his research paper at the international academic forum.
