The keynote address was delivered by Professor Pablo de Greiff, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Reparations and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence. He highlighted the fact that truth-seeking initiatives contribute to the strengthening of the rule of law, yet the success of any Commission depends on the credibility, competence and independence of the commissioners. In addition, the Special Rapporteur emphasised that truth commissions often build their foundation on the existing work of civil society organisations that document incidences of gross human rights violations. Key lessons drawn from case studies 1. The experience from Sierra Leone showed that specific Gender Concerns need to taken into account. 2. The experience of Guatemala exposed the challenges of shifting identities where an individual can be a victim in one instance and a perpetrator in another. 3. The Kenyan experience demonstrated the need for a credible, transparent and independent process in order to ensure a smooth, competent and an uninterrupted implementation of mandate. 4. The South African case demonstrated the need to implement the commission's recommendations immediately. There is therefore a need to have a monitoring and evaluation mechanism during and after the expiry of its mandate. The conference came up with the following recommendations; 1. Civil society should establish an independent National Transitional Justice Working Group, with a framework designed to proactively ensure that the needs of the victims are prioritised. 2. Public participation and input into the National Peace and Reconciliation (NPRC) draft bill, should be ensured and present in all processes leading to the appointment of commissioners who are independent, impartial and competent. 3. Civil society should monitor and advocate that the government ensures adequate protective mechanisms for victims and witnesses who will testify before the NPRC as well as for institutions that will provide relevant information. 4. Appropriate bodies should research, collect, archive and coordinate all existing historical narratives of the past. A particular concern should be the retrieval of information through iv The Second International Conference on Transitional Justice in Zimbabwe