The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and UNICEF have launched the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS): Round 7 (2024-2025).
This household survey aims to collect essential data on children and women, providing critical evidence on their lives and access to services, reads a press release.
For the first time in Bangladesh, MICS will gather data on blood lead levels, heavy metals, micronutrients, and anaemia.
These additions are crucial as environmental health risks significantly impact children's health, with nearly one in three deaths among children under five being preventable.
BBS and UNICEF have collaborated for decades, with the first MICS in Bangladesh launched 30 years ago. This survey has played a key role in improving the lives of women and children.
Md Shahiduzzaman Sarker, minister of state, Ministry of Planning, said, “I congratulate BBS and UNICEF for initiating the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey that will provide accurate information on the needs of children and disadvantaged women in our country, allowing us to address data gaps on the Sustainable Development Goals and enable effective planning and implementation through timely data.”
The upcoming MICS will include nearly 200 indicators covering health, nutrition, water, sanitation, education, and child protection.
These data points are vital for monitoring progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and evaluating the 8th Five-Year Plan 2020-2025.
UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh, Sheldon Yett, said, "UNICEF is proud to collaborate with the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics to conduct the next round of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, a critical source of data on the fulfilment of rights and wellbeing of children in this country.”
The survey will be conducted nationwide, including the main city corporations of Dhaka North and Dhaka South, and will also cover issues facing the Rohingya refugee population. Detailed survey plans, budgets, and questionnaires will be finalised in collaboration with BBS.
The MICS survey is supported by The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and The World Bank.
