Representatives from USAID, Australia, the European Union and UNICEF on 6 April, visited Sikhottabong district of Vientiane, Lao PDR, to observe the ongoing data collection for the third round of the Lao Social Indicator Survey (LSIS III).
With support from the USAID, Australia and the European Union, the Lao Government is currently gathering data from 21,000 households across the country in preparation for the launch of the third round of the Lao Social Indicator Survey (LSIS III).
LSIS III is a national survey being conducted by the Lao Statistics Bureau that will provide insights into the well-being of and challenges that Lao children and women are facing. This will help the Lao Government design more effective policies to improve their lives.
Furthermore, the data from the survey will help the Lao PDR closely assess its progress toward the 9th National Socio-Economic Development Plan, the Sustainable Development Goals and other social indicators.
“The Lao government takes this survey seriously as it offers data for tracking the country’s commitments to the SDGs and the NSEDP. Thus, we have invested time, money, and resources in making sure that the LSISIII data is reliable and of the highest quality,” added Ms. Phonesaly Souksavath, Head of Lao Statistical Bureau.
USAID Director of Economic Growth, Education and Environment Programmes, Mr. Cullen Hughes, highlighted the strong comprehensive partnership between the United States and the Lao PDR. “USAID is proud to contribute funding support to LSIS III. Data obtained through LSIS III will be key for the Lao PDR in realizing its development ambitions under the 9th NSEDP. More importantly, the data will help us better understand and meet the current needs of all Lao people, including people from ethnic communities, those with disabilities or those living in hard-to-reach areas among other vulnerable groups,” said Mr. Hughes. “USAID is committed to supporting the Lao PDR to ensure that all Lao people have equal access to services provided by the Government.”
Data collection for LSIS III is currently being conducted across 21,000 households, covering every district throughout all 18 provinces of the Lao PDR.
“The data collection phase is a key process underlying the success of the LSIS III initiative. It is thus a great opportunity to be able to observe the data collection process in real-time, which commenced in late March, and witness the efficiency in which village authorities and LSIS enumerators are working together,” said Mr. Dan Heldon, Deputy Head of Mission of the Australian Embassy in the Lao PDR.
“LSIS III makes clear Lao PDR’s commitment to the welfare of its women and children. As such, the EU and our partners are very proud to be supporting the Lao Government in generating quality data that will help inform policies benefiting more women and children,” said Ina Marciulionyte, Ambassador of the EU Delegation to the Lao PDR.
“UNICEF would like to express our sincerest appreciation to the Lao Statistics Bureau for leading on LSIS III and our gratitude to all international partners for their support in this initiative,” said Dr. Pia Rebello Britto, UNICEF Representative to the Lao PDR.
LSIS was first launched in 2011-2012 and, with the second round of being launched in 2017. Like its predecessor, LSIS III is being carried out as part of the Global Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) Programme by UNICEF. The Global MICS Programme was developed by UNICEF in the 1990s as an international multi-purpose household survey programme to support countries in collecting internationally comparable data on a wide range of indicators on the situation of children and women.
LSIS III is being implemented by the Lao Statistics office with financial contributions from the Lao Government, the USAID, Australia and the EU, alongside technical and financial assistance from UNICEF.
Source: Lao News Agency