Climate role for Robinson

Former President Mary Robinson has been appointed as a UN Special Envoy for Climate Change.

Serving alongside Norwegian PM Jens Stoltenberg and former President of Ghana John Kufuor, her first task is to raise the issue’s profile before the New York climate summit on 23 September.

Over the last year, Robinson has been the UN’s Special Representative for the Great Lakes region of central Africa. She had “mixed emotions” on relinquishing the role but felt that it was appropriate to take on the new position due to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s focus on the issue. Her previous positions included UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002) and membership of The Elders, an informal group of former heads of state and other international leaders.

The New York summit is not part of the formal preparations for the COP21 conference in Paris in November-December 2015. However, it will encourage governments to accelerate progress and build more resilience in the most significant policy areas e.g. agriculture, cities, energy and transport.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan welcomed the appointment, describing it as “both an honour for Ireland and a tribute to Mary Robinson’s stature on climate change and human rights issues and across the UN system.”