Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland and Former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights

Initiative Session Date: June 16, 2005

Summary:
Mrs. Robinson thanked IGD members for their commitment to global development and praised the IGD founders for their vision and sense of mission, saying that IGD’s work is both important and timely. As high commissioner she became convinced that the greatest human rights issue facing the world was extreme poverty. While the primary responsibility for human rights remains with government, there is nonetheless a great deal that business can do.

She urged business leaders to look at the specific Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and explore how their companies might support them. The MDGs provide a prioritized global agenda for development, which should be helpful in streamlining international assistance and reporting. Mrs. Robinson also said that the MDGs signal a global commitment to make globalization work for all people and should provide greater effectiveness. She firmly believes that the global community will make a huge impact on poverty by 2015 because, for the first time, people are forming a coherent voice to increase efforts for global poverty reduction.

“It’s…good for business to tackle extreme poverty, but in my language it’s also a duty that we owe.”

    - Mary Robinson, speaking to the Initiative for Global Development

Biography