former President of Ireland and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Mary Robinson in 2024 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Robinson in 2024
| office = President of Ireland
| taoiseach = | term_start = 3 December 1990
| term_end = 12 September 1997
| predecessor = Patrick Hillery
| successor = Mary McAleese
| office1 = United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
| 1blankname1 = | 1namedata1 = Kofi Annan
| term_start1 = 12 September 1997
| term_end1 = 12 September 2002
| predecessor1 = José Ayala Lasso
| successor1 = Sérgio Vieira de Mello
| office2 = Senator
| term_start2 = 5 November 1969
| term_end2 = 5 July 1989
| constituency2 = Dublin University
| birth_name = Mary Therese Winifred Bourke
| birth_date = | birth_place = Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland
| death_date =
| death_place =
| resting_place =
| party = Independent (before 1977, 1985–present)
| otherparty = Labour Party (1977–1985)
| spouse = | children = 3
| residence = | alma_mater = | profession = | awards = | signature = Maryrobinsonsignature.jpg
| module = {{listen|embed=yes|filename=Mary Robinson - Desert Island Discs - 28 July 2013.flac|title=Mary Robinson's voice|type=speech|description=From the BBC programme Desert Island Discs Recorded 28 July 2013 ; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish politician who served as the president of Ireland from December 1990 to September 1997. She was the country's first female president. Robinson had previously served as a senator in from 1969 to 1989, and as a councillor on Dublin Corporation from 1979 to 1983. Although she had been briefly affiliated with the Labour Party during her time as a senator, she became the first independent candidate to win the presidency and the first not to have had the support of Fianna Fáil. Regularly polling approval ratings above 90%, approval of Robinson peaked at 93% among the Irish public, the highest rating of any Irish president.
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It is a huge honour to take up the role as Chair of The Elders at such a critical moment for peace, justice and human rights worldwide. Building on the powerful legacies of Archbishop Tutu and Kofi Annan, I am confident that our group’s voice can both be heard by leaders and amplify grassroots activists fighting for their rights.
The opening words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the landmark post-WWII text signed seventy years ago this month, still resonate today: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” But the contours of today’s world are changing – often literally, as climate change sees sea levels rise and coastlines erode, threatening small island states and low-lying communities. And it’s incumbent upon all of us to ensure that the people living in these areas, and those who migrate from their homes due to war, persecution and poverty are as “free and equal in dignity and rights” as those of us living in prosperity... The need for collective action to protect the vulnerable and defend their rights is urgent, as the threat from divisive populists shows no sign of receding. We all need to remember that refugees and migrants are not a “horde” threatening livelihoods and security... The Global Compact can actually strengthen sovereignty by giving back to countries the ability to manage migration – as opposed to the chaotic scenes we have witnessed in the Mediterranean in recent years, with so much wretched human misery and hardship...
As heads of state travel to Marrakesh in the coming days, I hope they will reflect on the powerful words spoken earlier this year by Amina Mohammed, the UN Deputy Secretary-General: “Human beings have moved from place to place since the beginning of time, by choice and under duress, and will continue to do so. Refugees and migrants are not ‘others’. They are ‘us’. They are as diverse as the human family itself.” These are the values we all must uphold if we are to have any hope of effectively managing migration and protecting human rights. Inaction, cowardice or sabotage will leave the whole world poorer.