OXFAMExchange Winter 2003
Mary Robinson on human rights, functional literacy in West Africa, and saving the family farm
Her Excellency Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland from 1990-97, served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997 to 2002. Widely recognized as one of the world’s most eloquent and courageous defenders of human rights, she was recently appointed Honorary President of Oxfam International. As High Commissioner, Mary Robinson pursued accountability for violations of economic and social rights, as well as civil and political rights. Her term helped increase the visibility of human rights violations associated with the spread of HIV/AIDS and helped highlight the connection between institutionalized discrimination and poverty. She is now Director of the Ethical Globalization Initiative based in New York City. In this issue of EXCHANGE, we reproduce the remarks given by Ms. Robinson on Human Rights Day in Moscow, Russia.
Also in this issue, working together to save the family farm, the power of reading empowers women in The Gambia, and updates on Oxfam's work in Bolivia and in eastern and southern Africa.