13 May 2025, Ashgabat — Following the launch of the new Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS7) results, Turkmenistan has taken the next step in further advancing evidence generation on children and families. The training of MICS Plus enumerators was successfully conducted from 5 to 9 May 2025 by the State Statistics Committee of Turkmenistan in collaboration with UNICEF, and data collection is planned in May-June 2025.
MICS Plus is a high-frequency household survey platform developed by UNICEF, building on the traditional MICS Surveys. MICS Plus is an enhanced, rapid-response version using mobile phone for interviews, and allows for rapid and cost-effective monitoring of trends across various topics, helping governments make evidence-based decisions in a fast-changing world.
Turkmenistan, one of the first countries globally to implement the MICS Plus Survey, is demonstrating its strong commitment to the use of digital technologies and strengthening national data systems to regularly produce high-quality, timely information on children and families.
The five-day training was held by the Population Department of State Statistics Committee of Turkmenistan with technical support provided by Tatjana Karaulac, Statistics and Monitoring Specialist from UNICEF’s Data & Analytics Section. Participants gained practical experience with the MICS Plus methodology, including digital interviewing tools and modules covering education, household characteristics, energy use, water and sanitation, livelihoods, and climate change. Special attention was dedicated to panel survey techniques such as call attempt protocols, which ensure high data quality and response rates.
“MICS Plus is not just a technical tool—it is a commitment to data-driven governance,” said Ms. Tatjana Karaulac. “It enables countries like Turkmenistan to monitor how children and families are doing in near real time and adapt policies accordingly. The State Statistics Committee has shown strong leadership in embracing this forward-looking approach.”
The State Statistics Committee and UNICEF restectfully invites the selected households to actively participate in the telephone intreviews. This activity is conducted within the framework of the project “Strengthening National Child Rights Data and Evidence Generation Capacities and Systems in Turkmenistan” co-funded by the European Union. Building national capacity to generate and use reliable data, the project supports Turkmenistan’s efforts to monitor progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals and advance child rights. /// nCa, 14 May 2025 (in cooperation with UNICEF Turkmenistan)