Mary
Robinson became the first female President of Ireland in 1990. She was very popular
and worked hard to address the needs of all groups in her nation. She also used
her position to help bring global crises to the attention of the international
community. In 1992, she was the first leader to visit famine-stricken Somalia,
and she was the first to witness the devastation in Rwanda after the genocide
that had taken place there. In 1997 she resigned her position as President of
Ireland to accept the role of High Commissioner for Human Rights with the UN,
where she championed human rights around the world and rallied international support
against numerous human rights abuses.
After
leaving the UN in 2002, Mary Robinson has been involved with many different efforts.
She has been Honorary President of Oxfam International since 2002; she is Chair
of the International Institute for Environment and Development; Chair of the Council
of Women World Leaders; and founder of Realizing Rights: the Ethical Globalization
Initiative, which promotes equitable trade and development, more humane migration
policies, women's leadership and corporate social responsibility. In 2007, she
was one of the founding members of The Elders, a global group of social change
leaders. For her dedication to promoting human rights, Mary Robinson received
the Sydney Peace Prize in 2002, and in 2004 was awarded Amnesty International's
Ambassador of Conscience Award.
