DUSHANBE, October 3, Asia-Plus - Presentation of Indicator Cluster Survey for 2005 (MICS 2005) Preliminary Report will be presented in the building of Tajikistan’s State Committee for Statistics in Dushanbe on October 4.   

Muqaddas Qurbonova, an employee of the UNICEF Country Office in Tajikistan, Professor Mirgand Shabozov, Chairman of State Committee for Statistics, William Paton, UN Resident Coordinator of Tajikistan, and Yukie Mokuo, Representative of UNICEF Tajikistan, will take part in the event.    

According to her, the MICS, carried out by the Government of Tajikistan with the participation and support from various international agencies, looked at a range of health, nutrition and education issues  - from immunization and safe water to school enrolment rates.  The survey covered 6,684 households throughout southern and central Tajikistan. 

The most alarming results are those on malnutrition. Around one in four children under-five (or 27%) is stunted, around 17% are underweight.  The MICS does reveal some positive, as well as negative, trends. The survey found the decline of childhood mortality since the last survey was carried out in 2000, in Tajikistan is on the decline – 89 per 1000 life births in 2000 to 65 in 2005.”

The main objective is to provide policy makers with up to date, reliable and accurate data to help them make policy decisions in favor of children. It is expected that the MICS 2005 findings will further enhance the evidence based policy planning and analysis of the Government, thus, contributing to more systematic policy development and its implementation towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and a World fit for Children.

The survey gathers information about the progress achieved since the first MICS, conducted in 2000. The results will be comparable with surveys from other countries, helping to illustrate whether the world is moving closer to the Millennium Development Goals and the creation of a World fir for Children.