As an academic, legislator and barrister, Mary Robinson has always sought to use law as an instrument for social change, arguing cases before domestic and European courts. This includes the landmark case Norris v. Ireland in 1988 before the European Court of Human Rights, which found that the law criminalising homosexual acts had no proper justification, and therefore breached Mr Norris’ right to a private life. The judgement acted as a catalyst for profound societal change in Ireland, leading to the Marriage Equality referendum in 2015.
In 1990, Mary Robinson was elected Irish President, the first woman to do-so and served as a principled and transformative leader who fought for equality and women’s rights throughout her time in office. In her capacity as President, she addressed the Parliamentary Assembly in 1994 highlighting the vital role of the Council of Europe “What makes the Council of Europe special […] is its concern with values. At the centre of those values is the human being. From this everything else radiates.”
Most recently in 2022, Ms Robinson chaired a High-Level Reflection Group which produced a report on the future of the Council of Europe, calling for a Summit of Heads of State and Government. The report presented thirty recommendations to enable the Council of Europe to respond effectively to the war in Ukraine. Now Chair of The Elders, Ms Robinson continues to advocate for gender equality, women’s participation in peace-building, human dignity and climate justice.
The project “75 women in 75 years of Council of Europe history” is organised by the Delegation of the European Union to the Council of Europe with the Council of Europe and the Permanent Representations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
