Mary Therese Winifred Robinson is an Irish politician who was the 7th president of Ireland, serving from December 1990 to September 1997, the first woman to hold this office. Afterwards she was the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Prior to her Presidential election, Robinson was a senator in Seanad Éireann from 1969 and 1989, and a local councilor on Dublin Corporation from 1979 to 1983. She was briefly affiliated with the Labour Party, but she became the first independent candidate to win the presidency and the first not to have had the support of Fianna Fáil. Following her time as president, Robinson became the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997 to 2002.
Robinson is widely regarded as having had a transformative effect on Ireland, having successfully campaigned on several liberalising issues as a senator and as a lawyer. Robinson was involved in the decriminalisation of homosexuality, the legalisation of contraception, the legalisation of divorce, enabling women to sit on juries, and securing the right to legal aid in civil legal cases in Ireland. She was Ireland's most popular president, at one point having a 93% approval rating among the electorate.
During her tenure as High Commissioner, she visited Tibet (1998), the first High Commissioner to have done so; she criticised Ireland's immigration policy; and criticised the use of capital punishment in the United States. She extended her intended single four-year term as High Commissioner by one year to preside over the World Conference against Racism 2001 in Durban, South Africa: the conference proved controversial due to a draft document which equated Zionism with racism. Amid rising pressure from the United States, Robinson resigned her post in September 2002. After leaving the United Nations in 2002, Robinson formed Realizing Rights: the Ethical Globalization Initiative, which came to a planned end at the end of 2010.
Robinson served as Chancellor of the University of Dublin from 1998 until 2019, and as Oxfam's honorary president from 2002 until she stepped down in 2012.
She returned to live in Ireland at the end of 2010, and has since founded The Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice. Robinson remains active in campaigning globally on issues of civil rights. She sits on the board of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, and is a member of the Foundation's Ibrahim Prize Committee. She is also a B Team Leader, and was named an Extraordinary Professor in the Centre for Human Rights and the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender at the University of Pretoria. She has been the honorary president of the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation EIUC since 2005. She is a former Chair of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and is also a founding member and chair of the Council of Women World Leaders. She was a member of the European members of the Trilateral Commission.
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Some of their strengths
Mary Robinson has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Honest, Analytical, Innovative, Confident, Wise, Intense, and Strong.
Strong and Diligent
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Mary Robinson is someone who is a strong, diligent, and trustworthy person who approaches life with honesty and perseverance, but who is also physical, sensual, and artistic. A person who seems to identify with family, heritage and ancestry.
Adaptable and Versatile
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Mary Robinson well know them as someone who can be adaptable, flexible, and polite, like a flower or a sapling.
Organized and Achievement-oriented
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Mary Robinson as someone who is organized, goal-oriented, practical, and persevering.
Who is hardworking, intellectual, and easygoing, who loves higher education and learning and sharing ideas with others, and who loves healthy competition.
Dynamic and Imaginative
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Mary Robinson is someone who can bring a purifying element to situations, and who is a risk-taker with vision and imagination.
They are also someone who is calm, comforting, and stable, and who loves stability and being a good friend and loyal partner.
Patient and Compassionate
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Mary Robinson tends to be someone who approaches life with grace and compassion, and who has a powerful and commanding personality. Who can be analytical, patient, and deliberate, avoiding risks and seeking out stability instead.
Some of Mary Robinson's challenges
While Mary Robinson has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Mary Robinson can be Callous, Selfish, Stubborn, Idle, Rebellious, Emotionally Distant, and Arrogant.
Stubborn and Idle
One of Mary Robinson's key challenges is that they are someone who can be seen as stubborn and, at times, lazy.
Callous and Selfish
Mary Robinson is someone who can be standoffish, pessimistic, and ruthless, who can have difficulty concentrating and be impatient, can have difficulty discovering the keys to personal contentment, and who can have a tendency to overwork and hoard wealth and possessions.
Materialistic and Aggressive
Finally, Mary Robinson also can be materialistic, emotional, aggressive, stubborn, inconsistent, and be prone to big temper outbursts.
