Former President of Ireland and current Vice-president of the Club de Madrid Mary Robinson possess the acute ability to focus the global spotlight on highly important humanitarian issues.
With compassion at the forefront of her politics, President Robinson has led the world with a strong and ethical vision for the future. As the first woman President of Ireland she elevated the country to a new level of international status by fighting for controversial changes and bridging religious, social and economic groups.
President Robinson now serves as Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders and on the board of Mastercard Foundation, which focuses on microfinance, youth entrepreneurship and education. Through her role as Vice-president of Club de Madrid, an independent non-profit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community -composed of 89 former Presidents and Prime Ministers-, she continues her campaign for worldwide democracy.
As the first woman to lead the United Nations Commission for Human Rights, President Robinson demonstrated skills as an academic, legislator and human rights lawyer, and as founder of The Ethical Globalization Initiative, she remains a courageous defender of fundamental respect for human life, advocating for the integration of human rights, gender sensitivity and accountability into governing.
In 2005 President Robinson was listed as one of Time's top 100 men and women whose "power, talent and/or moral example is transforming the world." Most recently President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her significant contributions to the world, which she is determined to leave in better condition than how she found it.
