Mary Robinson Awarded Royal Scottish Geographical Society's Livingstone Medal

Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson has been awarded with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society’s Livingstone Medal at Scotland’s International Climate Justice Conference on 9^th October at Edinburgh’s Dynamic Earth.

The Livingstone Medal is one of the Society’s most prestigious medals, awarded for outstanding public service in which geography has played an important part and where its principles have been applied to the benefit of the human race.

Mary Robinson served as the President of the Republic of Ireland from 1990 until 1997, when she became UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Robinson now works tirelessly to promote human rights, and the rights of the world’s most underdeveloped countries.

Robinson has become one of the world’s most admired and active human right’s campaigners. She leads The Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice (MRFCJ).  MRFCJ is a centre for thought leadership, education and advocacy on the struggle to secure global justice for those people vulnerable to the impacts of climate change who are usually forgotten - the poor, the disempowered and the marginalised across the world.

Scotland was the first country in the world to establish its own Climate Justice Fund, and Mary Robinson supported its development. Climate Justice links human rights and development to achieve a human-centred approach, safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable and sharing the burdens and benefits of climate change and its resolution equitably and fairly.

The RSGS’s Livingstone Medal has been awarded since 1901, with previous recipients including Sir David Attenborough, Ernest Shackleton, Michael Palin, HRH The Princess Royal and Medicines sans Frontiers.

The Livingstone Medal is named for the explorer and anti slavery campaigner Sir David Livingstone, whose Bicentenary has been celebrated this year. His daughter, Agnes Livingstone Bruce, was one of the founders of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.

Robinson was delivering a talk at the Climate Justice Conference titled The Global Climate Justice Challenge. The award was presented by RSGS Chief Executive Mike Robinson. She was previously awarded honorary Fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society at an event in Dundee last December.