The President, Mrs Robinson, is scheduled to discuss the vacant post of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights when she meets the secretary general, Mr Kofi Annan, over lunch in New York today. Although originally scheduled as a courtesy call by the Head of State with the new secretary general, the timing of the meeting has inevitably led to some speculation that Mrs Robinson is poised to secure the post. Certainly, few independent observers would question her credentials; the President is almost universally seen as the best candidate but those familiar with the machinations of international diplomacy continue to advise caution.
Mrs Robinson may be the clear favourite for the post but as a white candidate from the developed world her candidacy could still arouse strong opposition from non western members of the UN. It may be that Mrs Robinson's candidacy could get caught in the crossfire between the developed North and the poorer South; it may be that the level of support for her main challenger, Ms Sonia Picado Sotela, the Costa Rican ambassador to the US who has already discussed the post with Mr Annan has been underestimated; it may be that the Chinese, who recently condemned Ireland's cosponsorship of an Danish UN resolution condemning its human rights record, could attempt to muster support for an alternative candidate from the Asian bloc.
That said, Mrs Robinson, will have benefited from the intensive lobbying campaign on her behalf mounted by Irish diplomats. This diplomatic campaign - comparable in scale to the Irish diplomatic lobby on behalf of the Anglo Irish Agreement has emphasised the President's strong human rights record and her independent voice in international affairs. While the President may carry the support of the EU and the US she is avowedly not the candidate or representative of any major power bloc.
Mrs Robinson has been a staunch defender of the notion of the "universality" of human rights; she has argued cogently that some rights - like freedom from poverty and hunger are immutable. The President has also managed to straddle the divide between the Western emphasis on individual human rights (like free speech and freedom from torture) and the nonwestern focus on collective human rights, notably the right of all to secure social and economic development.
In truth, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has still to gain the kind of priority that it should merit in international affairs. The office has gained a substantial increase in personnel and in its budget since it was established in 1993. It has still to gain a commensurate increase in its influence. There is a widespread belief in diplomatic circles that the office is underachieving, punching below its weight in international affairs and in need of reinvigoration.
For Irish observers, all of this carries familiar echoes of what was said about the presidency of this State before Mrs Robinson took office seven years ago. It was Mrs Robinson's energy, her courage and, most of all, her vision which helped to transform the role and stature of Uachtarain na hEireann. It is to be hoped that the President will have the opportunity of making a similar impact in international affairs - by building a bridge between the developed and the developing world.