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Mary Robinson, president of the Republic of Ireland from 1990 to 1997, explained the ways in which her long humanitarian career has developed her view of the intersection of human rights and climate change. After serving as her nation鈥檚 first female president, Robinson was appointed the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, holding that post from 1997 to 2002. She now heads the Mary Robinson Foundation鈥擟limate Justice. A transformative figure in Irish politics, Robinson is notable for developing the office of the Irish presidency, which, before her tenure, was a largely ceremonial, 鈥渞ed carpet鈥� position, into a high-profile 鈥渕oral platform鈥� from which she advocated for a variety of global causes. The foremost goal of her long career鈥攁nd the subject of her address鈥攚as making the preservation of human rights into a 鈥渃ompass鈥� that guides all government activities, Robinson said.

Robinson began her remarks by offering a special greeting to any undocumented immigrants, Irish or otherwise, present at the event. She said that Article I of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which declares that 鈥渁ll human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,鈥� is the clearest distillation of the moral principles directing her every action. Robinson said her early work as a barrister made her realize that 鈥渓aw is, and should be, an instrument of social justice,鈥� and it wasn鈥檛 until after her tenure as U.N. High Commissioner that she appreciated the nuances鈥攁nd urgency鈥攐f the global effort to preserve human rights. 鈥淨uite often [in developing countries],鈥� Robinson said, 鈥測ou would find very bad leaders鈥攁utocratic leaders鈥攚ho were abusing their citizens and pilfering their country, but within the country itself you would find people working鈥攄octors, lawyers, trade unionists鈥攐n the ground, in a civil society way, to try to advance their country, and to try to have better human rights in their country.鈥� Robinson served as U.N. Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region of Africa from 2013 to 2014. Her experiences prompted her to found Realizing Rights, a New York-based charitable organization dedicated to advancing the global causes of fair trade, health care access, women鈥檚 leadership, and corporate responsibility, which focus on the furthering of economic and social rights in African countries. 鈥淭here was a great emphasis in Western countries on civil and political rights鈥攔ights to freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom from torture鈥攂ut there was an underestimation of the importance of access to food, safe water, health care, education, and shelter,鈥� Robinson said.

Robinson, who also served as U.N. Special Envoy on Climate Change from 2014 to 2015, said the phenomenon of climate change is not only an environmental issue but an urgent human rights issue disproportionately impacting developing countries. 鈥淚 know that [in the United States] there is a strange phenomenon of climate denial going on鈥攈appily, it鈥檚 really not going on anywhere else in the world anymore,鈥� Robinson said. Remarking upon the importance of recognizing鈥攁nd minimizing鈥攐ne鈥檚 carbon footprint, Robinson expressed a hope that college administrations will divest from all holdings in corporations using fossil fuels or whose activities harm the environment. 鈥淚t is an incredibly unjust world where those countries and communities that are most vulnerable to [the dangers posed by] climate disruption are the countries that are least responsible,鈥� Robinson said.

Joshua Holtz,聽The Heights