Palestinian households to be surveyed to collect data on Palestinian women and children – UNICEF press release

Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 5 to roll out in the State of Palestine

Ramallah, 16 September 2013 – Following a tripartite agreement, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics of the State of Palestine, UNICEF and UNFPA will collect essential data about the situation of Palestinian children and women as part of the fifth round of the global Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS).

MICS 5 will aim to survey around 11,000 households to produce statistically sound, internationally comparable estimates on issues related to child and maternal health; nutrition; education; water, sanitation and hygiene; child protection and HIV/AIDS.

“MICS will provide the Palestinian Authority with national evidence-based information to guide our public policies and programming for the benefit of women and children,” said Ola Awad, President of PCBS.

MICS data are collected in face-to-face interviews in nationally representative samples of households. The result is one of the world’s largest sources of statistical information on children and women.

“MICS is a crucial tool which will help shed the light on the most disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalized children and women so they are not left behind in the global push to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) among other goals and commitments,” said June Kunugi, UNICEF Special Representative.

MICS 5 will provide data at the national, regional and governorate levels which can be disaggregated by various social and demographic characteristics, including gender.

“UNFPA is pleased to join hands, once again, with UNICEF and PCBS to generate vital data to support evidence based programming and interventions that effectively benefit the Palestinian population. This survey will provide UNFPA with key indicators in the area of reproductive health, including maternal health and family planning,” said Ziad Yaish, UNFPA Assistant Representative.

The MICS surveys evolved from being a relatively simple tool for monitoring progress toward the World Summit for Children goals and targets, to becoming one of the most important sources of data for tracking progress toward the Millennium Development Goals – the final progress report will be launched by the United Nations Secretary General in 2015 – as well as other major international commitments for improving the lives of women and children worldwide.

For further information, please contact:

Catherine Weibel, UNICEF: 054 7787604 or cweibel@unicef.org

Monica Awad, UNICEF: 054 778 7605 or mawad@unicef.org

UNFPA, Sana Asi, UNFPA: 054 817 4161 or asi@unfpa.org

PCBS, Rami Al-Dibs, PCBS: 0599 385 386 or rdibs@pcbs.gov.ps 

About UNICEF:

UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit:http://www.unicef.org/ 

About UNFPA:

UNFPA works to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every child birth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.  For more information about UNFPA and its work visit: http://www.unfpa.org/ 

About PCBS:

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics is an independent organization, which is essential for enhancing the credibility of statistical figures at the national and international levels, in addition to enhancing the confidence of individuals and institutions in statistics. This increases the potential of obtaining accurate figures during data collection from individuals and institutions.  It develops and enhances the Palestinian official statistical system based on legal grounds that organize the process of data collection and utilization for statistics for governmental, non-governmental organizations, private sector and academicians. For more information about PCBS and its work visit:  http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/