The State Statistical Office in partnership with UNICEF and UNFPA this weekend is starting to collect data on the situation of children and women in the country, for one of the largest international household survey programmes – the sixth round of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) supported globally by UNICEF.
“We call out to all households to open their doors to our interviewers as this data will help the country continue to develop informed policies and targeted interventions to improve the situation of women and children in the country,” said Mr. Apostol Simovski, Director of the State Statistical Office.
MICS is a comprehensive source of data on women and children, providing globally comparative indicators on nutrition, early marriages, child labour, child and adult functioning (disability), early childhood development, education and other areas impacting child wellbeing. It’s unique in that it provides comparable and disaggregated data to help countries identify equity gaps and to identify specific pockets of groups being left behind.
“Just as an unmeasured problem remains unresolved, children not counted are at risk of being left behind,” said Benjamin Perks, UNICEF Representative. “This information is essential to bridge data gaps, help make evidence-based decisions, and drive the ongoing and pending reforms in the country. “It should also serve to achieve transformation - irreversible changes for the better for all children and women in the country.”
MICS is a global methodology used since the 1990s. It has recently undergone review to reflect global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators. With the new enhancements, the survey will also provide valuable insights in new areas previously not measured as part of the MICS survey including access to social transfers, foundational learning skills (children age 7-14), child and adult functioning, migration status, use of clean fuels and technology, and victimization.
Data collection will be conducted between 16 November 2018 and March 2019 in randomly selected 6,240 households throughout the country. The methodology includes face-to-face interviews which will be facilitated by trained interviewers.
The last MICS survey in the country was conducted with UNICEF support in 2011.
About MICS
The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) is an international research programme developed by UNICEF, in collaboration with other UN agencies, and is carried out every five years around the world to ensure international comparability, continuity of research and time series data. Since the inception of MICS in the 1990s, over 300 surveys have been carried out in more than 100 countries. As part of the global effort to further develop national capacities to generate and analyse high quality and disaggregated data, UNICEF launched the sixth round of MICS in October 2016 – specifically designed to meet policy-makers’ needs in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) era.
The country participated in the third and the fourth round of MICS, in 2006 and in 2011 respectively. Data from these surveys have contributed to the development of national policies, plans and programmes and to monitoring progress for children and women.