2012 UC Berkeley Public Health Hero
First woman President of Ireland
Mary Robinson was elected Irish President in 1990 and served for seven years as a leader who continued to fight for equality and women’s rights throughout her time in office. In 1992 she was the first head of state to visit Somalia following the crisis there. She also brought global media attention to the suffering of Rwandans as the first head of state to visit the country just after the 1994 genocide.
Tackling global health issues
As a world leader, Mrs. Robinson has used her influence to advocate for maternal health, reproductive choices, women’s rights, immunizations, and the right to food and clean water. She is a member of The Elders, a group of global leaders brought together in 2007 by Nelson Mandela and chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
- In 2010 she launched Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health, a group of 16 sitting and former heads of state, high-level policymakers and other leaders committed to mobilizing the political will and financial resources necessary to achieve universal access to reproductive health by 2015.
- In 2010, as chair of the GAVI Alliance board, she helped launch Mother and Child Health Week in Rwanda. The nationwide campaign aimed to empower communities to make informed decisions on health matters with a focus on maternal and child health.
- In September 2011, she and other members of The Elders took to the world stage to draw attention to the issue of child marriage during the United Nations General Assembly. The practice of child marriage annually denies 10 million girls the right to education, health, and security.
- In April 2011 Mrs. Robinson urged international donors to prioritize the basic right to food and health irrespective of political considerations, after traveling to the Korean Peninsula (with President Jimmy Carter and other Elders) and seeing first-hand the extent of North Korea’s chronic food crisis.
- In December 2011 she called on pharmaceutical companies to lower the prices charged for cervical cancer vaccines so more girls can be immunized in low income countries.
Human rights champion
As UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002), Mrs. Robinson integrated human rights into the United Nations system and became renowned as an outspoken voice dedicated to investigating and exposing human rights abuses across the world. During her first year as High Commissioner, she traveled to Rwanda, South Africa, Colombia and Cambodia, among other countries. In September 1998, she visited China—the first High Commissioner to do so—and signed an agreement with the government to undertake a wide-ranging technical-cooperation program to improve human rights in that country. Mrs. Robinson also strengthened human rights monitoring in such conflict areas as Kosovo, in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
In 2002 Mrs. Robinson founded Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, which aimed to put human rights standards at the heart of global governance and ensure that the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable are addressed on the global stage. “Realizing the Right to Health” was one of the organization’s key priorities.
In 2010 she founded the Mary Robinson Foundation—Climate Justice, a center for thought leadership, education and advocacy on the struggle to secure global justice for those many victims of climate change who are usually forgotten: the poor, the disempowered and the marginalized across the world. Recognition and awards Among Mrs. Robinson’s numerous international awards is the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2009) awarded by President Obama. The award, America’s highest civilian honor, is given to individuals who make an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, or other significant public or private endeavors.
