Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are playing a fundamental role in expanding and developing democracy. The political, economic and social reforms that are taking place throughout the world have highlighted the need to support civil society so that it can participate effectively in decision-making processes and in the implementation and monitoring of public policies and programmes.

This is the sixth NHDR produced since 1998. The theme of the 2007 edition is the HIV and AIDS pandemic. The report looks carefully at general status of HIV and AIDS in Mozambique, its different facets and causes, its historical evolution, how it is regarded by society and its potential impact on the public and private sectors. The report finds that HIV and AIDS are exacerbating the problems of poverty, malnutrition, low educational levels and gender disparities, thus threatening the attainment of the MDGs as well as slowing growth and development.

The United Nations Global Compact (GC) has established the GC Regional Learning Forum (GCRLF) in Sub-Saharan Africa to promote responsible Corporate Citizenship in the region. GC invites companies to adopt the ten Global Compact principles with the aim of building new coalitions with private stakeholders in order to achieve a more inclusive globalization.

Towards that end, the Global Compact, its Regional Learning Forum and related activities in the African region, the United Nations Global Compact has commissioned a survey to assess the effectiveness on how GC Regional Learning is making a difference to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Human Development Report 2007/2008 shows that climate change is not just a future scenario. Increased exposure to droughts, floods and storms is already destroying opportunity and reinforcing inequality. Meanwhile, there is now overwhelming scientific evidence that the world is moving towards the point at which irreversible ecological catastrophe becomes unavoidable. Business-as-usual climate change points in a clear direction: unprecedented reversal in human development in our lifetime, and acute risks for our children and their grandchildren.

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