public acknowledgement of past human rights violations. Public acknowledgement of human rights abuses is necessary for peace, national healing and reconciliation as it establishes trust and accountability. In other words, the NPRC is the de jure institution that is empowered to usher in a new era of transitional justice in Zimbabwe. Four questions were posed that need to be asked when envisaging the truth recovery process in Zimbabwe: the first one relates to the passage of time and the effects of past amnesties; the second has to do with the truth and responsibility for violations of economic, social and cultural rights and how amends can be made; the third relates to the paucity of evidence that victims want a truth process or that there are prospects that such an exercise will establish the truth; and the fourth relates to finding the truth about human rights abuses attributed to pre-independence regimes. Dr. Moyo concluded that there is a culture of impunity in Zimbabwe that can be attributed to the failure to address human rights atrocities associated with 19th century colonialism. Truth seeking can contribute to peace, national healing and reconciliation. While it may seem practical to focus on post-2000 human rights abuses, this approach may be restrictive by excluding some victims, which may limit its chances to foster peace. Thus, for the sake of inclusivity, account needs to be taken of all the different historical narratives. In her opinion all different sets of history ought to be attended to and consequently there ought to be diverse methods for addressing different abuses associated with each historical epoch. However, two potential challenges may need to be considered: firstly, it may be difficult to recover the truth about violations of economic, social and cultural rights, gender based violations and colonial style wrongs. Secondly, while the importance of international law and the comparative method cannot be understated, it is important that concerns of Zimbabwean victims take priority over those of local politicians and the international community. Dr. Moyo proposed that, going forward, it may be important to attend to different historical periods using different methods of truth recovery; to be grounded in international law; and to identify what localised justice should look like for Zimbabwe. In this presentation the following stood out as themes critical to effective truth recovery in Zimbabwe: ► The need for inclusive narratives ► The need for public acknowledgment and consensus ► The need for gender-sensitive mechanisms Truth Commissions: the Best Practices 5