Background
Mary Robinson, the first female President of Ireland (1990-1997) and more recently United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002), has spent most of her life as a human rights advocate. Along with the likes of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, she is a member of ‘The Elders’. The group, initiated by Richard Branson, is based upon the traditional village elders, who are used to resolve village conflicts. The World ‘Elders’ are a group of world leaders who have come together to guide and support our ‘global village’. Their work includes, a call for more aid to help stabilise Zimbabwe, in light of the country’s escalating humanitarian crisis, as well as, lending support to the peace keeping process in Cyprus and Sudan.
Mary Robinson is a recipient of numerous honours and awards throughout the world, including Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award for her work in promoting human rights. She is the Honorary President of Oxfam International, a founding member of the Council of Women World Leaders, and serves on many boards including GAVI (the Global Alliance for Vaccinnes and Immunisation).
Now based in New York, Mary Robinson is currently leading a new project, the Ethical Globalization Initiative (EGI), supported by a partnership of the Aspen Institute, State of the World Forum and the Swiss based International Council on Human Rights Policy. Its goal is to bring the norms and standards of human rights into the globalisation process and to support capacity building in good governance in developing countries, with an initial focus on Africa. Since 2004, she has also been Professor of Practice in International Affairs at Columbia University, where she teaches international human rights.
Listen to highlights from the talk
Human rights and the labour market
Human rights and health
Human rights and climate change
Q&A session
Shared values – “It is in each other’s shadow that we flourish”
Advice for emerging leaders