Mary Robinson. Image (c) UN
(Image: United Nations)The Tenth Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture will be delivered by Mary Robinson, President of the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice. She served as President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997 and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997 to 2002.
She is a member of the Elders and the Club of Madrid and the recipient of numerous honours and awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from the President of the United States, Barack Obama.
A former President of the International Commission of Jurists and former chair of the Council of Women World Leaders, Robinson was President and founder of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative from 2002 to 2010.
Robinson serves as Honorary President of Oxfam International in addition to being a board member of several organisations, including the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and the European Climate Foundation. Robinson is the Chancellor of the University of Dublin (since 1998).
The theme for the Tenth Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture is Freedom, Truth, Democracy: Citizenship and Common Purpose.
Media opportunities are as follows:
In Cape Town,
- Sunday 5 August, 14h00 - 16h00: Mary Robinson delivers the Tenth Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture at the Cape Town City Hall
- Monday 6 August, 11h30 - 12h30: Mandela Day activity in Gugulethu, opening of a Mandela Day Library, book donation and book reading/story telling at Vuyani Primary School in Gugulethu
In Johannesburg,
- Tuesday 7 August, 10h00 - 14h30: A dialogue between Ms Mary Robinson and Ms Graca Machel hosted by the University of Johannesburg at the Johannesburg Country Club
- Tuesday 7 August, 18h00 - 19h30: A dialogue between Ms Mary Robinson and the University community hosted by the University of Pretoria at Freedom Park in Pretoria
- Wednesday 8 August, 07h30 - 08h30: JHB breakfast with Irish Community at the Hilton Hotel in Sandton
- Wednesday 8 August, 09h30 - 11h00: Mandela activity in Meadowlands, Soweto at Meadowlands Primary School in Soweto
- Wednesday 8 August, 12h30 - 14h00: Jay Naidoo in conversation with Mary Robinson and Emma Mashinini, activist, trade unionist and author at GIBS in Illovo, Johannesburg
Please note that the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory will make laptops available in the media centre on the day of the Annual Lecture.