The Tonga Statistics Department, in partnership with UNICEF, completed the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys Round 7 (MICS7) Data Processing Workshop last week. This workshop, which included participants from various Pacific islands, aimed to strengthening regional statistical capabilities.
The Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) provides important data on health, nutrition, education, and more, informing policies to support the most vulnerable populations. MICS is the largest source of statistically sound and internationally comparable data on women and children worldwide.
Opening the event, Australian High Commissioner to Tonga, H.E. Brek Batley, highlighted the necessity of accurate data for effective policy-making. The workshop included statisticians from Samoa, Kiribati, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Tonga. The focus was on preparing for the nation wide survey and improving data collection and processing skills using CSPro and SPSS software. By the workshop’s end, participants had developed draft CAPI systems suited to their countries’ needs for MICS7 implementation.
Developed by UNICEF and with its support together with UNFPA, and in collaboration with Pacific Community (SPC), Tonga conducted its first MICS in 2019, during MICS Round 6, with the results made available to the public in 2020.
