ZIMBABWE: FROM IMPUNITY TO ACCOUNTABILITY broader community about the mechanisms and the sorts of persons who should be made responsible for operating them. Civic organizations and the churches should assist 22 in this process.” It is important for civil society to try to develop these principled positions into concrete actions so that the victims feel they have, and do in fact have, ownership of the process. If civil society is serious about playing a role in ending the culture of impunity then it is incumbent on it to maintain the momentum on these fundamental issues. 5. TRUTH, JUSTICE, RECONCILIATION The symposium resolved that the main mechanism for dealing with past human rights abuses will be a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission to examine a range of matters prior to 23 1960, and subsequent to 1960. For such a body (hereafter referred to as the TJRC) to be effective it must be independent, credible, efficient, adequately resourced, accessible and victim 24 friendly. These ideas, guidelines and principles, and others 25 relating to the TJRC recorded in the Summary do not purport to be a scientific blueprint for the establishment of a TJRC or how it should operate. Instead, and arising from the spirit of the symposium, they reflect both the wishes of civil society as well as the recognition by it that unless the framework under which a TJRC is to be established and is to operate includes these points it will achieve very little. It is suggested that some of these key aspects are deserving of attention and debate. 22 Summary (Appendix II) p.ix-x. 23 Ibid. 24 Summary (Appendix II) p. x. 25 In addition to the role of civil society and the churches in monitoring and supporting the operations of any TJRC, the Summary (Appendix II) refers to the following needs, p.xii: for it to have a gender balance; for it to be especially cognizant of the special needs of women and children victims; for the post-transitional government to commit itself to co-operate with and to support a TJRC, and to give an unequivocal undertaking to implement its recommendations wherever possible. 10