Report of the 2014 International Human Rights Day Commemorations - 10th December 2014 Amphitheatre, Bulawayo result, production of IEC materials initially scheduled to be done in Bulawayo had to be shifted to Harare at the last minute and this affected early delivery of materials. On the other hand, some Bulawayo stakeholders felt their region had been economically disadvantaged by the decision. f. Balancing the conflicting interests of various stakeholders and development/funding partners proved a major challenge for the Commission. While the partnership approach contributed immensely to the overall success of the commemorations, it proved extremely challenging to satisfy the expectations of all stakeholders involved. G. Lessons Learnt and Recommendations To enhance improved coordination in future commemorative events; a. ZHRC and partners will need to initiate preparations much earlier to ensure that all the resources required for commemorations are in place prior to the event. b. Issues to do with branding and messaging ought to be agreed and finalised in good time, taking into account the needs and concerns of different stakeholders involved. c. In future commemorative and awareness raising events, efforts should be made to ensure that IEC materials (banners, placards, t/shirts, brochures/pamphlets and pre-event publicity posters) are printed in other indigenous languages recognised by the Constitution of Zimbabwe to embrace inclusiveness and promote Zimbabwe’s rich cultural diversity. d. In future commemorative events, it is necessary for the ZHRC to ensure that staff who are familiar with most local indigenous languages spoken in the region of the commemorative event are deployed at the exhibition desk to ensure effective interaction with communities. e. In future, ZHRC needs to fully appreciate the challenges involved in meeting UNDP payment requirements and procedures by instituting procurement processes much earlier, including ways to mitigate the challenges. f. The partnership approach in planning commemorations is key to success. ZHRC should continue with this approach in future commemorative events to strengthen its relationship and collaboration with partners in various sectors. g. In future, there is need to plan and initiate activities much earlier in order to avoid unforeseen bottlenecks and enhance the success of similar events. h. IEC materials for the International Human Rights Day and other Commemorations should be further improved and developed further. This entails development of more brochures and pamphlets on the functions and activities of all Units of the Programmes Department, as well as the functions of Thematic Working Groups and on human rights in general. The already existing nucleus of IEC materials can be used as a basis for expanding the quality and content of IEC ZHRC promotional materials that will further enhance visibility of the Commission. H. Concluding Remarks Page 18 of 19