Mary Robinson: podcast appearances and interviews

Mary Robinson is an Irish politician and human rights advocate who served as the president of Ireland from December 1990 to September 1997. She was the country's first female president and the first to be elected as an independent candidate without the support of Fianna Fáil. Prior to her presidency, Robinson served as a senator in Seanad Éireann from 1969 to 1989 and as a councillor on Dublin Corporation from 1979 to 1983. Her presidency is considered to have had a transformative impact on Ireland, with achievements including the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1993, the legalisation of contraception and divorce, enabling women to sit on juries, and securing the right to legal aid in civil legal cases. Robinson’s leadership was widely appreciated, with approval ratings reaching up to 93 percent. Following her term as president, she became the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997 to 2002. During her tenure at the UN, she visited Tibet, criticised Ireland’s immigration policies, and addressed issues related to the use of capital punishment in the United States. Robinson extended her term to oversee the World Conference against Racism in Durban and later formed the Ethical Globalization Initiative, which concluded in 2010. She has also held positions such as Chancellor of the University of Dublin and honorary president of Oxfam. Robinson returned to Ireland at the end of 2010 and established The Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice. She remains active in campaign work on civil rights and dignity issues globally and has served as honorary president of the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation.