Mary Robinson to receive Tipperary international peace award

Former president Mary Robinson is to receive the 2018 Tipperary International Peace Award.

The announcement was made on Thursday by the Tipperary Peace Convention. Previous winners of the award have included the late Nelson Mandela, Live Aid organiser Bob Geldof and former US President Bill Clinton.

The award recognised Mrs Robinson’s role in “putting human rights standards at the heart of global governance” as president of Ireland, chair of the Elders and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The organisers of the awards said Mrs. Robinson was “a passionate, forceful advocate for gender equality, women’s participation in peace-building and human dignity in all regions of the world”.

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It also praised her advocacy on sustainable and people-centred development in the world’s poorest communities, which it said was recognised through her work on many international bodies.

Mrs Robinson was also referred to as a “tireless champion of women’s equality”, who had travelled to many conflict zones to promote peace efforts and to encourage reconciliation and democratic transition.

“She makes it a priority to bring the concerns of ordinary people to the global stage and is outspoken and dedicated to investigating and exposing human rights abuses across the world”, the organisers said.

Mrs Robinson was also described as an “outspoken advocate on the effects of climate change and of the need to focus the world’s attention to meet the urgent challenges posed by extreme weather events on the poorest and on the most vulnerable of communities”.

Responding to the news of her selection, Mrs Robinson said she was very honoured to receive the award, which was “a wonderful example of a local community organising a prize for peace which has achieved wide international standing and recognition”.

Nominees for the award included African Union youth envoy Aya Chebbi, Humanitarian worker in South Sudan Sr Orla Treacy, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia Dr Abiy Ahmed and the President of Eritrea Isaias Afwerki, Swedish student and climate change activist Greta Thunberg and Nigerian humanitarian activist Zannah Bukar Mustapha.

The 2018 Tipperary International Peace Award will be presented to Mrs Robinson on November 7th in the Tipperary Excel Centre in Tipperary Town.