Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson To Discuss Human Rights

Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, will speak at the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26, as part of the Res Publica speaker series, on the topic of Human Rights and Ethical Globalization. The lecture is free and open to the public with seating on a first-come basis. Look for dinner reservation information in upcoming issues of Fortnightly. Prior to her campus visit, she will present a Res Publica lecture in downtown Los Angeles.
As President of Ireland, Robinson developed new economic, cultural, and political ties with other nations. She was the first head of state to visit both Rwanda following the 1994 genocide and Somalia following the 1992 crisis, and received the Special CARE Humanitarian Award for her efforts there.
As U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Robinson took responsibility for all U.N. human rights activities, and assumed the tasks of improving the human rights machinery of the U.N. and supervising the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.
Robinson has worked extensively in the area of human rights and especially in constitutional and European human rights law. She served on the International Commission of Jurists from 1987-1990 and on the Advisory Commission of Inter-Rights from 1984-1990. Robinson also served as Special Rapporteur to the Interregional Meeting organized by the Council of Europe in preparation for the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights.