A society emerging from a regime marked by grave and serious violations of human rights faces the complex challenge of how best to deal with the past. The establishment of a Truth Commission has helped several countries through this process. In the course of establishing such Commissions, leaders and decision makers are faced with a variety of political and structural choices. This website, a collaboration of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, Search for Common Ground, and the European Centre for Common Ground, is part of a process designed to help build a Truth Commission that fits their unique needs. We have organized the leading research on past Truth Commissions in a manner that is oriented towards decision making, to enable designers of future Commissions to identify the critical factors and potential solutions relevant to their societies.

If this is your first visit to this site, you may wish to read a more detailed introduction to this research. And if you have questions beyond what is presented on this site, or would like further consultation, please contact us.