Former Irish Republic president Robinson visits SMC
Sarah Nestor
Saint Mary's Editor
Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, no longer holds a public position but still plans to be an advocate for human rights, she said Thursday at Saint Mary's.
Robinson's speech, "Leadership in an Intercultural World," was arranged by the Center for Women's Intercultural Leadership.
Robinson spoke about her experiences as a former president and her role in the U.N., tackling current issues such as the situation in Israel and Iraq.
"Leadership in the modern world should be thought of as in the intercultural world," Robinson said. "The world is not balanced, and having traveled the world for the past five years, I can tell you that we all do not have dignity and worth."
In 1990, Robinson was inaugurated as the seventh president of Ireland and became known as the "President of the people" bringing world issues to the attention of the Irish and becoming a world leader.
"I thought of it as an opportunity to deepen the Irish sense of culture and to reach out to the communities of Northern Ireland," Robinson said.
In 1997 Robinson resigned from her presidency to take her position as the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, which she held until September 2002.
"A great deal of what is done at the International level is to make sure countries are upholding their commitments," Robinson said. "It is not about words and rhetoric but about the law, which the countries sign."
As the Commissioner for Human Rights Robinson was known for taking a stance on issues, even in the face of opposition. Most recently Robinson's opinion on Iraq has come under scrutiny.
"I found it necessary to draw attention to the U.S. and their treatment of the prisoners of Guantanamo Bay and the immigrants who were being held without being given lawyers for representation," Robinson said. "President Bush says he is fighting for the freedom of the world but to do that you have to uphold the freedoms of the world."
Robinson's last day as the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights fell on Sept. 11, which she spent in Geneva, Switzerland, attending a memorial service in honor of the lives lost in last year's terrorist attacks.
"The following day I became citizen Mary Robinson but I was not going to forget my duties," Robinson said. "The calling is to shape globilization so that it is more ethical and the individual can make a difference because there are human rights issues everywhere, you don't need to go to exotic places."
All News Stories for Friday, October 4, 2002
