Prime Minister and UNICEF MENA Regional Director launch MICS 3 at the Grand Serail

Present at the ceremony were Dr. Maral Tutelian, Director of Central Administration for Statistics (CAS) and Mr. Roberto Laurenti, UNICEF Representative in Lebanon in addition to ambassadors and high level officials.

UNICEF and the Government of Lebanon's Central Administration for Statistics, are working in partnership to conduct a nation-wide survey to determine access to and effectiveness of social services and other development indicators that have an impact on the wellbeing of children. It is expected that the field phase will take place in Fall 2008 and raw data will be available in early 2009, to equip national policy makers and development assistance agencies with new information to support the elaboration of a longer term national socio-economic strategies.

The government of Lebanon has recognized that there are uneven economic needs and disparities that vary from region to region. The previous sample size only allowed surveyors to generalize information to the Mohafazat level, meaning that the gaps in services to particularly vulnerable communities may not have been clearly identified. Now, based on this new survey, more localized information on several important subjects will allow the government, international organizations and civil society agencies to better tailor programming to those communities.

Together with UNICEF, the government of Lebanon has decided to invest the extra resources to increase the survey from 9,000 to 16,000 households, which will allow information to be collected at a more localized level than ever before. For the first time in Lebanon, findings about many of the subjects will be as specific as the Caza level.

At the opening ceremony at the Grand Serail Dr. Maral Tutelian, Director, CAS stated:

"For the first time, CAS surveyors will be using hand-held computers, supplied by UNICEF, to record their interviews. Among the first countries in the Middle East to use this technique for this survey, this technological advancement will increase the speed of data collection and processing, meaning that more people can be interviewed and results can be available much more quickly. In addition, using digital recording reduces the potential for errors in transcribing data, minimizing errors in survey results."

Mrs. Sigrid Kaag, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa thanked the Prime Minister for his support for this very important technical tool that will hold countries and governments accountable for the future and open dialogue on how to prioritize and measure the results and translate them into priority and sustainable programs. She also added, "We know there are disparities in Lebanon, but the results of MICS3 will help UNICEF and the government to better allocate and manage resources because our collective aim is to reduce poverty and advance in reaching the Millennium Development Goals."

Prime Minister Fouad Seniora concluded the ceremony by thanking UNICEF MENA Regional Director Mrs. Sigrid Kaag and UNICEF Representative in Lebanon Mr. Roberto Laurenti for all the support the organization has been bringing to Lebanon and especially during 2006 July Conflict. He stressed the importance of the transparent results that will allow the government, its institutions and decision makers in defining priority social and economic changes and mobilize the necessary human and financial resources to build a better Lebanon.

UNICEF's MICS is conducted regularly in countries around the world to assess important survival and quality of life indicators for children, youth and their families. Last conducted in Lebanon in 2000, MICS2 has so far remained one of the major sources of data related to children in the country. This year's survey is particularly significant, as the sample size of 16,000 households, almost double that of 2000, will better capture the specific needs of families living in the most vulnerable communities.

Topics routinely included in UNICEF country surveys include access to water and sanitation, health, and education. This year, CAS and UNICEF are adding interview questions to address issues of particular importance to Lebanon at this time. Among these newly-added topics are emotional wellbeing, particularly among children and youth; unemployment rates; and migration, including the risk of "brain drain" caused by young students and professionals leaving Lebanon to find employment elsewhere. Although HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Lebanon are relatively low, this year's survey will also capture knowledge and attitudes about HIV/AIDS among youth as a preventative measure to protect the country against this worldwide epidemic.