EU donates EUR 1.5 million towards UNICEF’s first Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) in Libya

Rifaah el-Hakim in Libya

The European Union has donated EUR 1. 5 million towards the implementation of the initial Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS) in Libya, which has been warmly appreciated by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Libya.

UNICEF created the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) to help nations gather critical information on key human development metrics and obtain vital data on the well-being of women and children, addressing gaps in their data collection processes. This resource offers a comprehensive reservoir of knowledge on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), encompassing approximately 33 indicators relevant to the SDGs.

The EU‘s financial assistance will aid in the development of data and statistics capabilities within government institutions, while also facilitating the generation of credible evidence. The MICS survey provides an opportunity for data-driven decision-making and policy development in support of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a specific focus on ensuring children’s rights are realized.

The deficiency of data caused by the previous confrontation in Libya has impeded the Government’s capacity to produce, scrutinize, and employ data in various domains. The most recent nationwide household survey was carried out in 2014, but it is crucial to obtain and refresh nationally inclusive information as soon as possible.

The Bureau of Statistics and Census (BSC) will collaborate with UNICEF to conduct the MICS survey, an internationally recognized program for household surveys originally created by UNICEF during the 1990s. The MICS survey is expected to incur expenses amounting to three million US dollars in total. Thanks to the substantial contribution of roughly US$ 1. 5 million from the European Union, the remaining funding deficit is now at US$ 1. 5 million.

UNICEF Libya and the European Union are dedicated to enhancing data-driven decision-making and monetary planning that promote and safeguard children’s rights and support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

UNICEF has created and is backing a global survey initiative called MICS, focusing on households. Ever since its establishment in 1995, MICS has grown to be the foremost provider of data on women and children globally that is both statistically accurate and comparable across different nations.

For a period of 27 years, data on crucial indicators of the welfare of women and children have been gathered from 350 Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys conducted in over 118 countries. These statistics have played an integral role in developing policies aimed at enhancing their quality of life. Over time, MICS has adapted to meet the diverse data requirements, amplifying from just 28 specifications centered on women and children during its initial phase to 200 specifications in the present sixth phase.

The MICS survey has three main goals:

• Furnish recent and differentiated information concerning the status of females and minors in Libya.
• Make a valuable contribution towards gathering data for the indicators of SDGs.
• Enhance the capabilities of the Bureau of Statistics and Census to effectively conduct and control household surveys through training and development.

Once the survey is done, an all-inclusive report and a database will be accessible to governmental agencies, NGOs, donors, and researchers.

The MICS investigation that is set to occur in Libya will happen within the time frame of August through October 2023, and tentative findings should be available in January 2024. The research will employ the Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) method and examine different subjects such as population specifics, well-being status, education, housing, water supply and hygiene, children’s and mothers’ health, nourishment, and procreative well-being.