1999 J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding
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1999 J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding |
Since her appointment as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in June 1997, Mary Robinson has taken on the difficult challenges of her office without hesitation and has consistently stressed the need for action in the struggle to extend the full range of human rights to all citizens.
Born in Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland on May 21, 1944, Mary Robinson was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, where she received a Master of Arts degree in 1970. She also earned a Barrister-at-Law degree from the King’s Inns, Dublin, and a Master of Laws degree from Harvard University.
At the age of 25, Mrs. Robinson was appointed Reid Professor of Constitutional and Criminal Law at Trinity College, where she also served as lecturer in European community law. With her husband Nicholas, Mrs. Robinson founded the Irish Centre for European Law in 1988. From 1969 to 1989, Mary Robinson was a member of Seanad Éireann, the Upper House of Parliament. She has also served on the Dublin City Council and the International Commission of Jurists.
In December 1990, Mrs. Robinson was inaugurated as the seventh president of Ireland. As president, she represented her country internationally, developing a new sense of Ireland’s economic, political, and cultural ties to other countries and cultures. Linking the history of the Great Irish Famine to today’s nutrition, poverty, and policy issues, she articulated a special relationship between Ireland and developing countries.
The Robinson presidency was characterized by inclusiveness and a concerted effort to use the office not only to improve the situations of marginalized groups within Ireland but also to draw attention to global crises. Mrs. Robinson was the first head of state to visit famine-stricken Somalia in 1992 and also the first to go to Rwanda in the aftermath of the genocide there. In recognition of her efforts in Somalia, Mrs. Robinson received the Special CARE Humanitarian Award in 1993.
Her humanitarian work as president, her background in human rights law, and her uncompromising pursuit of justice and equality made her a prime candidate for the position of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. As High Commissioner, Mrs. Robinson is responsible for overseeing the human rights activities of the United Nations, including promoting universal enjoyment of human rights, responding to human rights violations, undertaking preventive human rights action, and providing education and assistance in the field of human rights. Taking every opportunity to speak out on human rights abuses as they occur, she has recently expressed urgent concern about conflicts in East Timor, Kosovo, and Sierra Leone, among others.
Last updated: September 05, 2008
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