The International Development Law Organization (IDLO) and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) assessed the legal frameworks that govern land-use activities and investments in Mozambique. Mozambique’s legal framework for environmental management is well developed, and recent legal reforms have strengthened key public interest safeguards. Similarly, the country has established a comprehensive framework for investment through the Investment Law and Investment Promotion Centre (CPI), and enshrined in the Land Law the right to the use and benefit of land (DUAT). The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process places public consultation at the heart of effective environmental management. It extends participation to a broad spectrum of stakeholders at an early stage, allowing, in theory, substantial influence over the design and implementation of the EIA process. The National Council for Sustainable Development (CONDES) and the Ministry for Environmental Coordination (MICOA) have not managed, however, to influence high level government policy decisions and push convincingly for a sustainable development agenda.

Through its presentation of a holistic view of land management for sustainable development, this text outlines basic principles of land administration applicable to all countries and their divergent needs.

Proposes an investment and strategy of foreign direct investment to promote a diversification of affluences and to promote the growth more than great reach and inclusive, and suggests a number of measures to improve the investment climate for small and medium businesses.

"This report was prepared for 'Legal tools for citizen empowerment, ' a programme steered by the International Institute for Environment and Development"--Page iii.