1. FOREWORD BY THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE ZHRC Chairperson of the ZHRC, Commissioner E. H. Mugwadi Since the last Annual Report of 2015, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has grown in leaps and bounds. There are some achievements that have been made that are synonymous with an Institution that has long been in existence. The amount of work that has been carried out by the Institution in the past year has been commendable. The support from Government and development partners has given rise to our very own, world class Human Rights Commission. The accreditation of the ZHRC with an “A” status by the Global Alliance for National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRIs) gives testimony of an Independent and Paris Principles compliant Commission. The “A” status is the highest score afforded to NHRIs with the following privileges; • Participation in international and regional work and meetings of national institutions, as a voting member; • Holding office in the Bureau of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) or any subcommittee the Bureau establishes; • Speaking rights in International Human Rights Mechanisms; • Participation in sessions of the Human Rights Council and taking the floor under any agenda item. It is indeed pertinent that all NHRIs comply with the Paris Principles so as to provide the necessary and effective human rights protection system at the national level. It is equally pertinent for an NHRI to participate in international human rights fora, including the UN human rights treaty body system, aimed at enhancing the effective monitoring and implementation of international human rights norms at the national level. The ZHRC has been privileged to participate at the UPR Session in Geneva, during the presentation of Zimbabwe’s second cycle UPR Report in 2016. In the year 2016 the ZHRC successfully accredited with the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) as a voting member, having met the requirements for such status. The ZHRC will participate at meetings of the IOI and interact with other members to share notes and improve handling of the administrative justice function. The total number of cases received by the Commission in 2016 was 515 compared to 278 cases received in 2015, showing a significant increase in quantity of services. Reports on the ZHRC investigation findings, decisions, and recommendations were shared with relevant government Ministries and Departments for action. More reported cases are still under investigation. A total of three (3) mental health institutions and twenty one (21) prisons were monitored to assess human rights conditions and recommendations were made to the respective Ministries for redress. In addition, significant inroads were made in bringing visibility of the Commission to the general populace by engaging in various promotional activities and key stakeholder engagements. Through outreach engagement meetings, the ZHRC directly reached out to more than Protecting, Promoting and Enforcing Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms 3