During a recent visit to the country, former Irish President Mary Robinson, now a prominent women's rights campaigner, praised the steps taken in Malawi.

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One of Dr Browne's last observations on the shame of emigration consisted of a swipe at Mary Robinson, Ireland's president, for putting a lamp in her window as a reminder of those forced to leave Ireland in search of work.

ECONOMIST: No?l Browne

That may help to explain why Mary Robinson's election in 1990 heralded a more liberal and less Catholic country while seven years later Mary McAleese's "bridge-building" theme foreshadowed what politicians south of the border believe was the reconciliation of the Good Friday Agreement a year later.

BBC: Irish presidency: candidates go from sinner to saint

Koch married Mary Robinson, the daughter of a Missouri physician, and they had four sons: Freddie, Charles, and twins, David and William.

NEWYORKER: Covert Operations

To select Bioneedle as the top winner, the ten category winners were reviewed by a panel of high-profile judges including Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Fatih Birol, Chief Economist at the International Energy Agency and Stuart Mackintosh , Executive Director of the Group of Thirty.

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In a message, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, said it was time that governments and organisations moved from words to action.

BBC: News | Africa | African women march against violence

The debate is believed to be the first to address climate justice in a parliament in the world, according to former Irish president Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner on Human Rights and who now runs her own foundation for climate justice.

BBC: Climate justice debate