Introduction Objectives of the conference The conference had three main objectives, which built upon each other: • To enable Zimbabwean decision-makers to learn from the experiences of other countries’ strategies of how to address socio-political and transitional justice issues in a holistic manner. • To gain a better understanding of how specific transitional justice issues are dealt with using case studies from other countries. • To enable stakeholders from a cross-section of the Zimbabwean community to define the way forward for transitional justice in Zimbabwe. Issues addressed by the conference The conference addressed various issues relating to the development of a tran­ sitional justice policy framework. The main issues that were brought to the agenda of the conference included: • Government and dealing with the past. • Traditional mechanisms of dealing with the past. • Inclusiveness in transitional justice processes. • Politically exposed persons, asset recovery and reparations. • Human rights commissions and transitional justice. • Engendering transitional justice. • Justice, reconciliation and peace in Africa. Additional presentations were delivered on the background to transitional justice, the Zimbabwean and global experiences, as well as a country studies. A keynote address by Dr Undine Whande and a speech by Hon. Co-Minister Sekai Masikana Holland were also part of the conference. Methodology The methodology for attaining the objectives of the conference was designed as a mix of presentations, group discussions and plenary sessions, as indicated below and in the diagram. • An introduction explains the purpose of the conference, introducing participants and explaining the sequence of activities. • Six country experts present their country-specific transitional justice experience in front of the plenum. x International Conference on Transitional Justice, Zimbabwe