By Caribbean News Global contributor
BELMOPAN, Belize – On Tuesday, the ministry of economic development, on behalf of the government of Belize, the Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB), and UNICEF signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), commencing the seventh round of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS).
“The MICS has served as an important source of data for Belize on child mortality, early childhood development, nutrition, health, HIV/AIDS, child protection, and gender. It has also allowed for an evidence-based approach to many of Belize’s national agendas like the Plan Belize Medium-Term Development Strategy and the Children’s Agenda 2017-2030,” said the government of Belize in a press release.
“This seventh round of the MICS will utilize new modules and, as a result, add new indicators to the existing key indicators that the survey collects, which will expand Belize’s data results and capacities.”
The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 7 (MICS7) will be implemented from the second quarter of 2023 to the end of the third quarter of 2024 by SIB in collaboration with key ministries, UN agencies and UNICEF.
The MOU was signed by Dr Osmond Martinez, chief executive officer in the ministry of economic development; Diana Castillo-Trejo, director-general of SIB; and Alison Parker, UNICEF representative in Belize.
