MRFCJ News: 2013

Statement from MRFCJ on the Closing of COP18/CMP8

11 December 2012
COP 18 was set against the backdrop of Hurricane Sandy and Typhoon Bopha – it was hoped these examples of the devastating impact of climate change could provide the impetus for bold action. While never expected to be radical, it was hoped that COP18 would make some progress towards decisive action to combat climate change and safeguard the most vulnerable.

China Central Television (CCTV) Interview: Providing equality for the poor

05 December 2012
Mary Robinson was interviewed by CCTV today. "We have a charge of ultimate huge responsibility for the future of our planet... We can take decisions now that [the world's population in 2050] will not be able to take. It will be too late."

A Conversation: Women in Climate, Clean Energy and Sustainability

04 December 2012
A panel of women leaders gathered at the US Center at COP 18 in Doha yesterday to discuss global efforts to address climate change, deploy clean energy and promote sustainability. The panel was introduced by US Ambassador to Qatar Ms. Suzanne Ziadeh and the event was moderated by Lisa Jacobson, President of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy.

Highlighting the need for constituencies of demand at COP18/CMP8

04 December 2012
On Sunday 02 December, Mary Robinson took part in a session on ‘Fast-paced reflections’ as part of the Development and Climate Days organised by the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the Climate and Development Network (CDKN).

Doha update by UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Christiana Figueres

03 December 2012
UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres gives the latest update to the press ahead of the High-Level segment starting on Tuesday, 4th December 2012.

Robinson calls on US to act on climate change

03 December 2012
Speaking at the final session of a business-orientated World Climate Summit in Doha, Qatar, Mary Robinson said that the US “must now increase its ambition” in tackling climate change and US president Barack Obama “needs to give that leadership”.

'We must ensure women are represented at COP18'

30 November 2012
Mary Robinson says we need to realise how central strong gender policies and women’s empowerment will be to tackling climate change. She talks about the release of a new book which shares women’s stories of climate change and offers a new narrative. She stresses that millions of people are already dealing with climate change – the majority of which are women – and are already learning how to adapt.

A focus on children and young people on Day 4 of COP18

30 November 2012
At the Intergenerational Inquiry organised by YOUNGO, the official youth constituency at the UNFCCC, Troika+ members Ms. Christiana Figueres, Ambassador Dessima Williams and Mary Robinson discussed the role and importance of youth in the UNFCCC process. During the inquiry, youth representatives were invited to pose questions to the panel and the panellists in turn posed questions back to the audience.

MRFCJ on Gender Day at COP18

28 November 2012
The first official Gender Day to be held at a Climate Change Conference took place yesterday and it set the bar high for future COP Gender Days. With a trio of well organised and high profile events, two of which were attended by COP18 President Abduallah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah, there is no doubt that Gender is firmly on the agenda for Doha’s COP18.

MRFCJ’s Head of Research & Development in Outreach Magazine’s ‘Quote of the Day’

28 November 2012
On Monday at COP18/CMP8, Dr Tara Shine, Head of Research and Development at MRFCJ, and Edward Cameron, Director, International Climate Initiative at the World Resources Institute, were selected as the ‘Quote of the Day’ by Outreach Magazine.

Women seen as key to climate change fight

28 November 2012
Mary Robinson believes women are central to the climate change fight. She spoke at the launch of a South African legacy project - capturing the country's hosting of the COP17 event last year. South Africa's International Relations & Cooperation Minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane says: "The book is a testament to ordinary people, especially women, who every day are the face of climate reality on the ground."

COP18/CMP8 opens in Doha, Qatar

26 November 2012
In his address to delegates during the Opening Ceremony of COP18/CMP8 in Doha Qatar, incoming COP President, H.E. Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah spoke of the need to reach an agreement on the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol and to make progress on agreements made at COP17 in Durban last year.

Arab Women Leading the Way in Energy and Climate Change

19 November 2012
On 13 November 2012 MRFCJ co-hosted a meeting titled “Arab women leading the way in energy and climate change” with the Directorate of Energy and Climate Change at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company.

Equity Workshop, Brussels

13 November 2012
MRFCJ’s Head of Research and Development, Dr Tara Shine, participated in an Equity Workshop, organised by Belgium and Sweden and held in Brussels on the 6-7 November 2012. The purpose of the workshop was to explore ‘equity’ in the context of the UN climate change negotiations.

Inaugural Concern Worldwide Hunger Lecture

16 October 2012
Mary Robinson, MRFCJ President, delivered the Inaugural Concern Worldwide Hunger Lecture in Belfast on Monday 8 October 2012. In her address Mrs Robinson spoke of the need to be innovative, bold and revolutionary in our responses to hunger and under-nutrition and their underlying causes.

SUN Movement Progress Report launched in New York

09 October 2012
On 27 September 2012, on the margins of the 67th United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement launched its Progress Report, 2011 – 2012. The report presents a detailed snapshot of the progress and results towards scaling up nutrition in SUN countries...

MRFCJ and WRI sign MOU for Climate Justice Dialogue

27 September 2012
On 25th September 2012 MRFCJ and the World Resources Institute held an important meeting on the margins of the 67th UN General Assembly in New York. The purpose of the meeting was to agree a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Climate Justice Dialogue...

International Leaders Pledge Action
on Gender Parity in UN Negotiations on Climate Change

25 September 2012
On Monday, 24th September 2012, on the side-lines of the 67th United Nations General Assembly in New York, twenty international leaders agreed an action plan to secure a new agreement on women’s participation at COP18 to take place this November. This commitment was made at a meeting of high level leaders, known as the Troika+ of Women Leaders on Gender and Climate Change.

Second Global Conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change

13 September 2012
The Second Global Conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change took place in Hanoi, Vietnam from 3 – 7 September. The conference was co-organised by Vietnam and the Netherlands in collaboration with the FAO and the World Bank. Mary Robinson delivered the keynote speech by video message on the opening day of the conference.

Mary Robinson: Technology Can Improve the Lives of the Poor

13 August 2012
Mary Robinson attended the annual Brookings Blum Roundtable — an off-the-record forum for global leaders, entrepreneurs and practitioners to discuss innovative ideas and advance groundbreaking initiatives to alleviate global poverty.

Tenth Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture delivered by Mary Robinson

07 August 2012
Mary Robinson delivered the 10th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture on Sunday 05 August in Cape Town South Africa. Speaking as a ‘true friend of South Africa’ Ms Robinson said that as South Africa faced into its 20s, there was a great opportunity to draw on its strengths and renew the inspirational vision it set out of a rainbow nation, which the world stood in admiration of in 1994.

Mary Robinson guest presents BBC The Forum

28 July 2012
The BBC World Service programme The Forum was guest presented by Mary Robinson on Saturday 28 July. The Forum is “an ideas discussion show which tackles the big questions of our age with some of the world’s most eminent minds.” Mary Robinson was joined by panellists Laurence Goldman, Prof John Sulston and Tahmima Anam to discuss Inequality. The challenge of our age?

Equity and Climate Science - Euroscience Open Forum 2012, Dublin

12 July 2012
Mary Robinson, President of the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice (MRFCJ) delivered a keynote address entitled Equity and Climate Science on the second day of the Euroscience Open Forum 2012.

Statement by Mary Robinson to Rio+20 High Level Roundtable

21 June 2012
Mary Robinson, MRFCJ President, acted as Rapporteur for the Sustainable Development Dialogue on Food and Nutrition Security at Rio+20. An initiative of the Brazilian government, the Sustainable Development Dialogues provided an opportunity for representatives of civil society to make recommendations to Heads of State and governments on ten key development issues...

Protecting People, Forests, Water and Climate Change:
Setting the Stage for Real Solutions

21 June 2012
Yesterday, June 21, AD Partners, along with co-hosts Dr. Jane Goodall and Sir Richard Branson, hosted a High Level event on Advancing Public-Private Partnerships for Deforestation-Free, Sustainable Agriculture.

Women Leaders’ High Level Summit on the Future We Want

21 June 2012
The Women Leaders’ High Level Summit on 21 June gathered women Heads of State and women leaders, and called on global leaders to accelerate actions and policies for a sustainable future. Ms. Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women said that when women enjoy equal rights and opportunities, poverty, hunger and poor health decline and economic growth rises.

Sustainable Development in an Unequal World:
Mary Robinson addresses Club de Madrid event at Rio+20

21 June 2012
A High-Level Event: 'Sustainable Development in an Unequal World’, co-organised by the Club de Madrid and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, focussed on the linkage between economic growth and stability, on the one hand, and social inclusion and cohesion on the other. Mrs Robinson welcomed the concept of shared societies, adopted by the Club de Madrid...

Food and Nutrition Security, Health and Gender Equality: Partnerships for climate-resilient sustainable development

21 June 2012
On 20 June 2012, President of MRFCJ, Mary Robinson, joined panellists at an event on Food and Nutrition Security, Health and Gender Equality: Partnerships for climate-resilient sustainable development.

Equal representation in population but unequal representation in the board room

20 June 2012
Speaking at a Climate Change TV televised panel on Gender and Climate Change on 20 June 2012, Ms Figueres said her wish is that “the world will soon work itself out of this conversation”, when low carbon living becomes the norm and there is parity on decision-making by women and men.

Rio+20 and Women’s Lives: A Cross-generational Dialogue

20 June 2012
Mary Robinson spoke at an event organised by Climate Wise Women and the Center for Environment and Population, which brought together global women activists to share their personal narratives on the cross-cutting impacts of climate change and other environmental issues.

Women Leaders Forum on The Future Women Want

19 June 2012
As part of the Women Leader’s Forum on The Future Women Want at Rio+20 in Brazil, Mary Robinson moderated a lively panel discussion on Normative Frameworks and the Integration of the Three Pillars of Sustainable Development.

Mary Robinson delivers keynote address at Agriculture and Rural Development Day at Rio+20

19 June 2012
President of MRFCJ, Mary Robinson yesterday, 18 June 2012, delivered the keynote address at the fourth Agriculture and Rural Development Day (ARDD) taking place in parallel with the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Better lives, smaller footprints: Tara Shine speaks at IIED Side Event at Rio+20

18 June 2012
MRFCJ Head of Research and Development, Dr Tara Shine, was a panellist at the International Institute for Environment and Development’s (IIED) Fair Ideas side event at Rio+20. The event presented insights from IIED’s Fair Ideas conference, held over the previous two days, and examined how the sustainable development goals (SDGs) could be designed to work most effectively.

Event: Food and Nutrition Security, Health and Gender Equality – Partnerships for climate-resilient sustainable development

18 June 2012
President of MRFCJ, Mary Robinson, will join Round Table Panellists on Thursday, June 20th at the PHI and UNDESA partnerships’ event on Food and Nutrition Security, Health and Gender Equality. Cristina Tirado, Director of the PHI’s Center of Public Health and Climate Change will Chair the event and David Nabarro, UN SG’s Special Representative for Food Security and Nutrition will act as Moderator.

The Climate Justice Dialogue:
Implementing equity in the new international climate agreement

13 June 2012
Mary Robinson told participants at a meeting hosted by WRI that the ‘the time had come for a climate justice narrative – a narrative that places people at its centre, that is informed by human rights, that strives for equity and protects the most vulnerable’.

Launch of Climate Justice Fund in Scotland

01 June 2012
The Scottish Government announced on May 31 that it would be making available £3 million through the newly-launched Climate Justice Fund to support projects to improve access to water in countries such as Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia...

Climate Justice: Creating Urgency and Safeguarding Rights

01 June 2012
Post co-authored by Mary Robinson, President of MRFCJ, and Manish Bapna, Acting President of the World Resources Institute: The UN climate change convention is 20 years old this month... we still haven't solved the problem nor even agreed how to solve it...

IWA World Congress on Water in Dublin

15 May 2012
MRFCJ Mary Robinson gave a plenary address at the International Water Association (IWA) World Congress on Water, Climate and Energy in Dublin on 15 May 2012. The Congress took place from 13-18 of May in Dublin with delegates from more than 60 countries.

MRFCJ Head of Research and Development presents to G20 Development Working Group

08 May 2012
MRFCJ Head of Research and Development, Dr Tara Shine gave a presentation to a meeting of the G20 Development Working Group on Friday 4 May 2012 in Los Cabos in Mexico. Dr Shine gave the presentation entitled ‘Access to Sustainable Energy for All – A Climate Justice Approach’ to second working session of the G20 Development Working Group which met from 3-5 May.

EU Parliament votes on report on Women and Climate Change

25 April 2012
A report on Women and Climate Change was debated and voted on in the European Parliament on Friday 20 April. The report, which had earlier been passed by the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, was passed by 418 votes to 87.

Women in Development event at XIII Ministerial UNCTAD Conference

23 April 2012
Mary Robinson, President of MRFCJ attended Women in Development today 23 April as part of the XIII Ministerial UNCTAD conference in Doha, Qatar. The purpose of the Women in Development event is to raise awareness of the gender issue and to yield new insights into the relationship between macro-economic policies, development and gender.

Mary Robinson appointed to Lead Group of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement by UN Sec. General

11 April 2012
Mary Robinson has been appointed by the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, to the lead group of SUN, the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement. Mrs Robinson joins 26 others, including Tom Arnold, CEO of Concern Worldwide, along with Heads of State and representatives from business, development agencies and international organisations on the influential group.

Mary Robinson receives Atlas Award from the Association of American Geographers

09 March 2012
Mary Robinson received the Association of American Geographers (AAG) Atlas Award on 25 February 2012 at the AAG annual meeting in New York. Mrs Robinson also delivered an address on climate justice and the international efforts to combat climate change entitled Mapping the Future of Climate Change.

MRFCJ and UN Women host event at Commission on the Status of Women

Updated: 07 March 2012 | Posted: 05 March 2012
MRFCJ co-hosted an event with UN Women at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York Monday 5 March 2012. The theme of this year’s CSW is the empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges.

Scottish Parliament passes motion on climate justice

05 March 2012
An historic debate on a motion of climate justice was held by the Scottish Parliament on 1 March 2012. The Scottish Government motion on climate justice was passed unanimously by the Parliament. President of MRFCJ, Mary Robinson, challenged both government and civil society in Scotland to “become champions of climate justice”.

Gender is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) Recommendations

31 January 2012
The 19th GIMAC Pre-Summit Consultation on Gender Mainstreaming in the African Union has published the recommendations agreed at the meeting which took place from 25-26 January 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

UN High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability Report

30 January 2012
The UN High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability in its final report has concluded that “empowering women and ensuring a greater role for them in the economy is critical for sustainable development,” according to the Panel’s co-chair Finnish President Tarja Halonen.

Gender is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) 19th Pre-Summit

25 January 2012
Mary Robinson today addressed the Gender is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) 19th Pre–Summit Meeting on Gender Mainstreaming in the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The meeting is addressing the implementation of the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa...

Climate Justice Post-Durban

18 January 2012
Mary Robinson delivered a lecture at University College Cork’s Centre for Global Development on Wednesday 18 January 2012 entitled ‘Climate Justice Post Durban’. Mrs Robinson explored the outcomes of COP17 from a climate justice perspective and the extent to which it addressed the needs of those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Statement from Mary Robinson on the Closing of COP17/CMP7

12 December 2011
MRFCJ staff attended COP17/CMP7 in Durban to advocate for a climate justice approach to the negotiations. As the COP17/CMP7 closes with the major issue of a legally binding agreement addressed, Mary Robinson issues this statement...

International Human Rights Day 2011

10 December 2011
On International Human Rights Day, Mary Robinson addressed the World Policy Conference in Vienna where she described the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a living document, as relevant today as when it was adopted 63 years ago. Mary Robinson also celebrated the three women Nobel Peace Laureates who were honoured today.

Unlocking the Potential of Women to Combat Climate Change

09 December 2011
MRFCJ hosted a public event on 8th December at COP 17 with United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues , Melanne Verveer. The event was a public discourse which took place at the US centre in the International Convention Centre in Durban. It was attended by a large number of women, from both high-level and grassroots organisations.

Women and Climate Change - MRFCJ Side-Event at COP17

07 December 2011
MRFCJ today, 7 December, hosted a High-Level event with Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, President of COP17/CMP7 called Forward Looking Strategies – Women and Climate Change: Durban and Beyond at COP17.

Climate Change is a matter of justice

05 December 2011
Having a legal framework with clear and common rules to which all countries are committed is critically important - and the only assurance we have that action will be taken to protect the most vulnerable, Mary Robinson and Archbishop Desmond Tutu write in the Guardian.

COP17 "must deliver action" on the links between climate change and food security

03 December 2011
Delivering a keynote presentation on Agriculture and Rural Development Day held at Durban University of Technology today, Mary Robinson said: “While the current text is blocked due to linked agenda items on bunker fuels and issues around trade, this COP must deliver action on the links between climate change and food and nutrition security.

REDD+ in Africa: Polices and Perspectives

02 December 2011
Mary Robinson moderated a roundtable discussion Friday on REDD+ in the Africa Pavilion at COP17 which looked at the broad experience in Africa of addressing the challenges of REDD+. Entitled REDD+ in Africa: Policies and Perspectives, the discussion was organised by the Government of South Africa, African Union Commission, African Development Bank and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

MRFCJ meets African climate campaigners

01 December 2011
Mary Robinson yesterday, Wednesday 30 November, met with members of the Trans African Caravan of Hope, including members of our Women’s Leadership on Climate Justice Network, Cecilia Kibe Coordinator the Pan Africa Climate Justice Alliance Women Caucus and Constance Okollet, Chairperson of Osukuru United Women’s Network in Uganda and member of Climate Wise Women.

COP17 needs to address food security

30 November 2011
MRFCJ Mary Robinson and Concern CEO Tom Arnold describe in today's Irish Times how “the plight of those living in the Horn of Africa brought home the terrible vulnerability of the people living there to weather and climate shocks.” They said the situation in the Horn of Africa reinforces the imperative of sustaining efforts and attention on food and nutrition security.

Will the World

30 November 2011
MRFCJ's newest colleague Mary Faherty blogs from her first COP: While some people weren’t keen to show their cards, no poker face could hide the general mood gleaned from corridor and coffee conversations - despondency and low expectations. There was no sense of urgency, which was both shocking and worrying...

Women Leading the Way at COP17

28 November 2011
MRFCJ is delighted that the important role women’s leadership can play in the United Nations Climate Change negotiations was highlighted today during the Opening Ceremony of COP17/CMP7 by its new President, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, South Africa, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and outgoing COP President, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mexico, Patricia Espinosa.

COP 17 Curtain Raiser

28 November 2011
The MRFCJ team arrived in Durban yesterday evening and went straight to the Kings Park Stadium to the Bishop Geoff Davies organised “We have Faith – Act Now for Climate Justice Rally”. Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu supported the Rally which was organised to present a united civil society front before the UNFCCC talks officially opened this morning.

Climate campaign travelling across Africa to COP17

18 November 2011
MRFCJ has been following the progress of the Trans African Caravan of Hope as it makes its way to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa. The Caravan, a convoy made up of almost 300 civil society, activists, environmental scientists, farmers and journalists is travelling across Africa on a 17 day journey to bring its message to COP17.

Mary Robinson delivers 2011 Magnusson Lecture

04 November 2011
President of MRFCJ, Mary Robinson, delivered the 2011 Magnusson Lecture on 7 October at Glasgow Caledonian University entitled Climate Justice - Challenges and Opportunities. The lecture was the third in a special series in memory of the university’s late Chancellor Magnus Magnusson. Following Mrs Robinson’s lecture, there was a Q&A session hosted by television presenter Dr Sally Magnusson.

The Geography of Climate Justice - An Introductory Resource

27 October 2011
MRFCJ is happy to announce the publication of The Geography of Climate Justice - a resource designed for Transition year and GCSE level students who are studying Geography, Environmental Studies or Social Studies. The resource looks through the lens of climate justice at how climate change impacts on people differently depending on their geographical location.

Women Leaders Can Turn Commitments on Climate Change
and Gender Equality into Action on the Ground

24 October 2011
In the last month, MRFCJ has focused its efforts on addressing and highlighting the gender dimension of climate change in the run up to negotiations at COP 17. Mary Robinson has highlighted the gender dimension of climate justice saying that women's contribution is central to tackling climate change and "requires the energy and resourcefulness of women's leadership to tackle it".

South-South sharing to highlight REDD+ Opportunities for African Countries

17 October 2011
The Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice (MRFCJ) has today published a report entitled: Pursuing REDD+ as a viable development option: Lessons from Guyana’s experience. The report, launched at the first Climate Change and Development in Africa Conference in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, aims to enable South-South sharing of experiences on REDD+.

Human rights at the centre of climate change policy

13 October 2011
The adverse effects of climate change can already be felt in many areas with direct negative impact on the enjoyment of human rights, says UN Human Rights deputy chief Kyung-wha Kang, who has emphasized the need to place human rights at the centre of all policy responses to climate change.

Statement on the Death of Wangari Maathai from Mary Robinson

26 September 2011
The death of Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, means we are all deprived; we have lost an extraordinary activist who showed the skills of leadership and great determination. But two words sum her up for me; passion and energy - traits she showed in all she did.

Connecting Local to Global: Women, Climate Change and Conservation

19 September 2011
The President of MRFCJ, Mary Robinson, gave the opening address at the Connecting Local to Global: Women, Climate Change and Conservation meeting in New York on September 19, 2011. The meeting, organised by the Center for Environment and Population (CEP), discussed innovative women-centred approaches to conservation, climate change and development through on-the-ground grassroots networks.

MRFCJ meeting on Legal Form of New Climate Agreement

09 September 2011
MRFCJ hosted a meeting on the possible Legal Form of New Climate Agreement on September 9, 2011, with the support of the Grantham Research Institute of the London School of Economics. The meeting, held under Chathan House rules, was attended by invited participants from different regions of the world and they discussed possible options for the legal form of a future climate agreement.

Appointment of Chief Operating Officer

07 September 2011
The Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice is pleased to announce the appointment of a Chief Operating Officer. Following a public competition Ronan Murphy has been appointed to the post and will take up the position with effect from 1st October 2011.

Protecting the most vulnerable: the role of climate justice

05 September 2011
The President of MRFCJ, Mary Robinson, spoke at the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) in Dublin on September 5, 2011, on the mission of MRFCJ, which is to put the poor and forgotten at the heart of the climate change debate and to empower the marginalised to achieve sustainable and people-centred development.

Mary Robinson delivers keynote address at Alpbach Political Symposium 2011

29 August 2011
The European Forum Alpbach is an annual meeting involving, inter alia, politicians, academics and students, who come together to discuss and brainstorm new ideas and solutions to world problems The theme for 2011 is “Justice – Responsibility for the Future”.

Mary Robinson to re-visit Horn of Africa

17 July 2011
A consortium of aid organisations today announced that Mary Robinson will travel this weekend to the drought stricken region of the Horn of Africa. The consortium – including Concern Worldwide, Trocaire, Oxfam Ireland – approached Mrs Robinson to help ensure that the plight of people in the region remains firmly on global agendas.

Women and Climate Finance - Bonn Side-Event

05 July 2011
In advance of the United Nations Climate Change Summit 2011 taking place in Durban later this year, the latest round of UN climate talks took place in Bonn from 6-17 June 2011. Dr Tara Shine reports on an MRFCJ co-hosted event that took place in Bonn...

Profile of MRFCJ by The Epoch Times

07 June 2011
"Ireland, through its greatest asset, its people, has also touched many countries in the developing world through humanitarian efforts. The Epoch Times recently had the opportunity to speak with one of Ireland’s greatest ambassadors, Mrs Mary Robinson, who spoke about her latest efforts to address the inequalities of climate change through the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice (MRFCJ)..."

2011 TASC Annual Lecture

03 June 2011
The 2011 TASC Annual Lecture was delivered Thursday 2nd June 2011 by Mary Robinson, President of MRFCJ. It was entitled Climate Justice (MRFCJ): Justice for All - Even in Climate?, Ms. Robinson delivered a wide-ranging lecture during which she highlighted the crucial role played by education and research in combating climate change and its effects.

Mary Robinson Interview by OnEarth.org

25 May 2011
"Voice of the People" - MRFCJ President Mary Robinson spoke with OnEarth articles editor Jocelyn C. Zuckerman about how the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice, based at Trinity College Dublin, hopes to address the challenge of climate change, which she calls the "biggest human rights issue of the twenty-first century."

Geography of Climate Justice - Public Forum

16 May 2011
A public forum on the Geography of Climate Justice heard last week that climate change and the ability to respond to its impacts vary extensively both within and between nation states. Organised by the Royal Irish Academy with the support of MRFCJ and Concern Worldwide, the forum brought together speakers and respondents from within the broad fields of climate change, geography and development.

"Women’s leadership is needed in this century more than ever"

April 2011
Mary Robinson spoke to Global - The International Briefing shortly after visiting communities in Bangladesh that are already experiencing the devastating effects of global warming, and explained why she believes that women need to be involved at all levels in the climate change negotiation process.

Climate Wise Women in Dublin

15 April 2011
Women leaders from Uganda and the Carteret Islands in the South Pacific gave first-hand accounts of their communities’ experience of climate change in Dublin this week. Constance Okollet and Ursula Rakova of Climate Wise Women, a global initiative to promote women’s leadership on climate change, were joined by MRFCJ President, Mary Robinson and Jim Clarken, CEO of Oxfam Ireland, for a panel discussion.

Possibilities 2011 Social Forum

15 April 2011
The Possibilities civic summit attended by 2,000 people on 13 April in Dublin aimed to inspire young people to speak out to help improve the country and was organised by three non-profit organisations — Afri, Children in Crossfire and SpunOut.ie, a youth website and forum. Mary Robinson was among the speakers at the event, explaining she first became aware of the justice impacts of climate change.

Women Leaders on Climate Justice: A Grassroots Perspective

29 March 2011
Oxfam Ireland and MRFCJ invite you to hear the voices of women leaders on climate justice at Trinity College Dublin on the evening of 12th April 2011. Climate Wise Women is a global initiative to promote women's leadership on climate change and to give a human face and voice to this complex issue. The speakers for the night are: Ursula Rakova, Constance Okollet, Jim Clarken and Mary Robinson.

World Water Day 2011

23 March 2011
The Science Gallery in Trinity College Dublin was the host of a number of activities to mark UN World Water Day. MRFCJ President Mary Robinson delivered an address on Climate Justice, TCD and Harvard University announced The Future of Water project and Water for Life! Ireland hosted an Expo on water projects.

Launch of UK Climate Change and Migration Coalition

21 March 2011
The UK Climate Change & Migration Coalition (UKCCMC) which launches Wednesday 30 March, is being set up to provide civil society organizations with a platform to develop a coordinated response to the interconnected issues of migration and climate change. Their aim is to foster dialogue and cooperation on the issues and to develop an action-orientated approach that...

Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change established

16 March 2011
Scientists from six continents are to combine their expertise under a new commission to look at ways to boost food production in the face of climate change. The Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change brings together thirteen experts from natural and social sciences to develop policy recommendations on how to help global agriculture adapt to changing weather conditions.

Mary Robinson delivers lecture at London School of Economics

11 March 2011
Mary Robinson highlighted on March 10 how the debate on climate change is moving from stopping it, to how best to manage its effects. In a lecture at the London School of Economics entitled Protecting the Most Vulnerable: Securing a Legally Binding Climate Agreement, Mary Robinson discussed climate justice and its links to human rights and development...

Women in Science and Society

10 March 2011
To celebrate 100 years of International Women’s Day an event was hosted by WITS (Women in Technology and Science) on Science and Society on Tuesday March 8th. The discussion, which focused on how women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) can use their work for societal benefit, also marked the 21st Anniversary of WITS.

Climate Justice needed in Bangladesh

Updated: 15 February 2011 | 11 February 2011
"To come to Bangladesh is to see that climate change is most severely affecting the people who have contributed least to causing the problem", noted Mary Robinson during a visit to the South-Asian country, where she met with local farmers and fishermen and women who are among 20 million Bangladeshis who may have to leave their homes and livelihoods if global temperature increases by more than 2° Celsius...

African Women Leaders on Climate Justice

27 January 2011
Blog by Mary Robinson: I have just returned to Dublin from Addis Ababa where the 17th Gender is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) Pre-African Union Summit meeting of women leaders in Addis Ababa took place. I was invited by Bineta Diop of Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS) to take part in a session on Gender and Climate Change / Climate Justice.

Royal Irish Academy Discourse

23 December 2010
As the year 2010 draws to a close, Mary Robinson delivered an academy discourse at the Royal Irish Academy on Monday 20 December. The purpose of the discourse was to take stock of the meager progress we are making on one of the world’s greatest human rights challenges: climate change.

MRFCJ welcomes Cancun Agreements

13 December 2010
The UN Climate Change Conference has ended with the adoption of a package of decisions, dubbed the Cancún Agreements, that set all governments more firmly on the path towards a low-emissions future. MRFCJ welcomes the establishment of a global Climate Fund but regrets that the reference in an earlier draft - that women's needs must be addressed - was removed in the final text.

Troika on Gender to be formed

07 December 2010
The Ministers of Denmark and Mexico agreed to attempt to form a Troika on gender leading up to COP 17 in South Africa, 2011 at the MRFCJ and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mexico hosted Women Leaders on Climate Change event, Cancún, December 6.

Official MRFCJ COP 16 Side Event

04 November 2010 | Updated: 26 November 2010 | Updated: 06 December 2010
From 29 November to 10 December, environment officials and ministers will meet in Cancún in Mexico for the UN climate change conference to continue efforts towards an international deal on cutting carbon emissions. MRFCJ is co-organising an official side-event: "Women’s Leadership on Climate Change Justice and the Grassroots Perspective" which will take place on Saturday 4th December.

Women Leaders on Climate Change - COP16 Special Side-Event

01 December 2010
In recognition of the fact that climate change negotiations are, for the first time, chaired by a growing group of women leaders, Ambassador Patricia Espinosa, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mexico and Mary Robinson are convening a side event Women Leaders on Climate Change on 6 December in Cancún.

EPA Lecture Series on Climate Change

24 November 2010
Following on from the success of the Climate Change lecture series 2007-2009 hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), MRFCJ President Mary Robinson delivered a public lecture Tuesday titled: Re-shaping the debate on climate change. Approximately 800 people filled the Round Room in the Mansion House in Dublin for the session chaired by RTÉ broadcaster John Bowman.

UK must do more on climate change, says CBI

23 November 2010
With the global market for low-carbon goods and services expected to be worth around GBP£4 trillion by 2015, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) need to act now to develop products and services, as well as taking steps to improve energy efficiency. This was the underlying message at the CBI Climate Change Summit 2010 which took place last week (18 November) in London.

Natural Hazards, UnNatural Disasters: The Economics of Effective Prevention

11 November 2010
A joint report from the World Bank and the UN says that climate change will add greatly to annual global losses from disasters. The 250-page report, targeted directly at the world's finance ministers, stresses that "prevention pays but you do not always have to pay more for prevention". One area where the report calls for more spending is on early warning systems, particularly weather forecasting.

"Climate Justice Can Help End Poverty"

17 October 2010
Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director, Greenpeace International, writes in The Huffington Post how "in some circles it has become politically acceptable to state that poverty cannot be eradicated in our lifetime...however history teaches us that when decent people take risks and engage in struggle for principles...then those who occupy the instruments of power...will listen and understand."

Social Forum 2010 - Climate Change and Human Rights

12 October 2010
From 4 to 6 October in Geneva, the Office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) hosted the 2010 Social Forum on Climate Change and Human Rights, which addressed the adverse effects of climate change on the full enjoyment of human rights, including the right to life and economic, social and cultural rights.

10/10/10 - The Largest-Ever Day of Global Action on Climate Change

06 October 2010
On October 10th, over 6,000 events are planned in 187 countries for the 10/10/10 Global Work Party, the largest day of carbon-cutting action in the planet's history. 10/10/10 is a day for people across the planet to get to work on climate solutions and pressure their politicians to do the same. Now is the time to recognise the extent of the impacts that climate change is having on the poorest people.

Mary Robinson delivers climate justice address at Queen's University Belfast

30 September 2010
Mary Robinson delivered a major speech on international development, social justice and climate change at Queen’s University Belfast. She was speaking at the Irish African Partnership for Research Capacity Building workshop which was hosted by the University. In her address, she called for political leaders around the world to insist that climate and development challenges are addressed in tandem.

Women's Leadership on Climate Justice

29 September 2010
Convened by The Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice and Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, on Friday 17th September, Roosevelt House, Hunter College, New York City, this meeting was an important step in creating an informal network on Women’s Leadership on Climate Justice.

A New Champion for Climate Justice

27 September 2010
"Part of the problem with the climate issue is that is has been led by scientists, environmentalists and economists, but what we haven’t understood is that people are suffering dramatically, in parts of the world that Irish people care a great deal about..." Mary Robinson interview by John Gibbons published in the Sunday Tribune >>

Five Books on Climate Justice

25 September 2010
Every day on fivebooks.com an eminent writer, thinker, commentator or politician chooses five books on their specialist subject. Mary Robinson says those who benefit from emissions in the form of economic development and wealth have an ethical obligation to share benefits with those who are today suffering from the effects of these emissions, mainly vulnerable people in developing countries.

"Women Can Lead the Way"

20 September 2010
President of MRFCJ, Mary Robinson and Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the Green Belt Movement, Wangari Maathai, highlight in The Huffington Post the importance of women’s leadership in achieving the MDGs and in fighting climate change...

New Climate Finance Website: Dutch Government launches FastTrackFinance.org

17 September 2010
A new website, aiming to provide transparency about the origin, amount and use of funds going to developing countries to support action to fight climate change, has been launched. Visitors to www.faststartfinance.org can click on to donor and recipient countries on a map of the world and gain access to detailed information about climate projects.

Geneva Dialogue on Climate Finance

08 September 2010
High-ranking representatives from 46 countries and the EU met in Geneva on 2 and 3 September 2010 for an informal exchange on the financing of climate action. The aim of the climate dialogue was to raise awareness among the invited countries of the challenges involved in the financing of measures to deal with climate change.

COP 15 and Climate Justice: Collapse, Greenwash or New Impetus for the Future?

04 February 2010
Following on from the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009, a multistakeholder event co-sponsored by Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, the United Nations Non Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS), and the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, was held on Monday 25 January at UN Headquarters in New York.