MICS3 in the Context of Global Commitments and Reporting Needs

Purpose

• Background to MICS

• Current international goals and reporting requirements

• Process to identify MICS3 indicators

MICS3 in the Context of Global Commitments and Reporting Needs

History of MICS

World Summit for Children

• WSC took place in 1990 in New York

• 158 countries signed the WSC Declaration and Plan of Action

• Commitments to achieve a set of 27 goals by the year 2000

MICS3 in the Context of Global Commitments and Reporting Needs

World Summit for Children Declaration and Plan of Action

“Each country should establish appropriate mechanisms for the regular and timely collection, analysis and publication of data required to monitor relevant social indicators relating to the well-being of children . . .” [para 34 (v)]

“The assistance of the United Nations is requested to institute appropriate mechanisms for monitoring the implementation of this Plan of Action . . .” [para 35 (iv)]

MICS3 in the Context of Global Commitments and Reporting Needs

Development of MICS

• Huge gaps in availability of data for basic indicators

• Development of MICS methodology– Mid-decade (MICS1)– End-decade (MICS2)

• Collaboration with DHS survey programme

MICS3 in the Context of Global Commitments and Reporting Needs

SOURCES FOR MICS3 INDICATORS

Design Criteria

• Reasonably inexpensive

• Can be executed in a relatively short time

• Flexible — to suit country requirements and capabilities

• Statistically sound

• Capable of producing internationally comparable estimates of indicators

MICS (67 countries)

MEASURE DHS+ (28 countries)

End-Decade Household Survey Activity

AVAILABILITY OF DATA ON

TRENDS IN CHILD MALNUTRITION

Early 1990s

Late 1990s

AVAILABILITY OF DATA ON

TRENDS IN CHILD MALNUTRITION

Past: World Summit for Children indicators only

Present: Many international goals and new indicators • Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)• World Fit for Children (WFFC)• UNGASS/AIDS• Abuja Targets for malaria• Poverty Reduction Strategy Plans (PRSP)• UNICEF/MTSP

How to decide what to include in MICS3?

CHANGES IN GLOBAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

World Fit for Children

Declaration and Plan of Action

“…We will regularly monitor at the national level and, where appropriate, at the regional level, and assess progress towards the goals and targets in this plan of action at national, regional and global levels. Accordingly, we will strengthen our national statistical capacity to collect, analyse and disaggregate data, including by sex, age and other relevant factors that may lead to disparities…” [para 60]

WORLD FIT FOR CHILDRENNEW AGENDA FOR CHILDREN

World Fit for Children

Declaration and Plan of Action

“…We will enhance international cooperation to support statistical capacity-building efforts and build community capacity for monitoring, assessment and planning…”

“…As the world’s lead agency for children, UNICEF is requested to continue to prepare and disseminate, in close collaboration with Governments, relevant funds, programmes and the specialized agencies of the UN system, information on the progress made in the implementation of the Declaration and Plan of Action...” [para 61]

WORLD FIT FOR CHILDRENNEW AGENDA FOR CHILDREN

• Too many goals and strategies

• Not possible to identify quantifiable indicators for

many goals

• Many goals/strategies involve areas outside of

UNICEF’s mandate

PROBLEMS WITH WFFCINDICATOR DEVELOPMENT

CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION IN MICS3

• Relevant MDG indicators

• Continuity with WSC indicators

• Interagency agreement on indicators

• Relevant to UNICEF priority areas

• Previously tested indicators

• Possible to collect through household surveys

MICS COVERS A RANGE OF

DIFFERENT INDICATORS

• WSC indicators

• MDG indicators

• Interagency MDG Monitoring Groups

• Other interagency indicator development work

MAIN SOURCES FOR MICS3 INDICATORS

Malaria: RBM Malaria MERG

Water/Sanitation: JMP/Technical Advisory Group (JMP-TAG)

HIV/AIDS: HIV/AIDS MERG

Immunization: GAVI M&E Task Force

Child Survival: Child Survival Partnership

INTERAGENCY MDG MONITORING GROUPS

• Child protection (UNICEF)

• Psycho-social care (UNICEF)

• Gender parity MDG indicator Task Force

OTHER INTERAGENCY INDICATOR DEVELOPMENT WORK

22 OUT OF 53 MDG INDICATORS

• Underweight prevalence

• Net primary school attendance rate

• Children reaching grade five• Primary completion rate• Adult literacy rate

• Female to male education ratio

• Under-Five Mortality Rate• Infant Mortality Rate• Measles immunization

coverage

• Maternal Mortality Ratio• Skilled attendant at delivery

• ITN use (U5s)• Anti-malarial treatment (U5s)

• Orphans: school attendance• Young people: knowledge about HIV

prevention• Young people: condom use with non-

regular partners• Contraceptive prevalence

• Use of improved drinking water sources

• Use of improved sanitation facilities• Use of solid fuels • Security of tenure

• Telephone/cellular phone subscribers

1

2

3

4

6

5

7

8

NEW INDICATORS FOR MICS(not including MDG indicators)

HEALTHY LIVES• HH availability of ITNs• IPT pregnant women

• Antibiotic treatment for ARI• ORT/increased fluids and

continued feeding

• Frequency of complementary feeding

• Adequately fed infants• Timely initiation of BF• Infants weighed at birth

• Institutional deliveries

• Water treatment• Sanitary means of excreta disposal for

children under 3

• Hep B coverage• HiB coverage

PSYCHO-SOCIAL CARE• Support for learning• Father’s support for learning• Support for learning: children’s books• Support for learning: non-children’s

books• Support for learning: materials for play• School readiness

NEW INDICATORS FOR MICS(not including MDG indicators)

CHILD PROTECTION• FGC prevalence• Extreme FGC prevalence• FGC prevalence among

daughters• Approval of FGC• Marriage before 15, 18• Early marriage• Spousal age difference• Polygyny• Attitudes on domestic violence• Labourer students• Student labourers• Child discipline

HIV/AIDS• Prevalence of orphans• Prevalence of vulnerable children• Children’s living arrangements• Malnutrition among OVCs• Early sex among OVCs• External support to OVCs• Age at first sex among young

people• High risk sex• Knowledge of MTCT• PMTCT counselling coverage• PMTCT testing coverage• Age mixing

CHANGES TO EXISTING INDICATORS

• Sanitation – Revision of categories for “improved” sanitation (e.g. traditional pit latrines specified; exclude shared facilities)

• Drinking water – Revision of categories for “improved” water sources (bottled water included if HH uses another “improved” water source)

• ORT use – Add new indicator: Received (ORT or increased fluids) and continued feeding

• Knowledge about HIV/AIDS

MICS DATA CAN BE USED FOR REPORTING ON PROGRESS IN MANY DIFFERENT AREAS

• MDG national reports• MDG regional reports• Secretary General’s global MDG progress reports

• WFFC national reports by early 2007• WFFC global progress report in 2007

• Other global reporting requirements (e.g. Abuja targets, UNGASS on AIDS, etc.)

MICS AND GLOBAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

NATIONAL USE OF MICS RESULTS

Although MICS can be used for international reporting requirements, the most important use of the results is at national level for improving the lives of children and women!

MICS AND GLOBAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

CONCLUSIONS

• Greater complexity and size of MICS3 questionnaire

• High expectations from MICS as source of data for MDG and other global monitoring indicators

• Greater harmonization with other agencies and other household survey programmes (DHS, LSMS, etc.)