At a unique event held at ATU's Mayo campus in Castlebar, Ms. Robinson's remarkable accomplishments to human rights, climate justice, and global leadership were acknowledged.

Ms. Robinson was the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997 to 2002 and the President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997.

Her leadership had been greatly praised, and former US President Barack Obama had awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.


She was the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy from 2013 to 2016, holding positions on climate change, El Niño, and climate resilience, as well as the Great Lakes region of Africa.

She continued to advocate for fair solutions to the climate catastrophe through her charity, the Mary Robinson charity - Climate Justice.

Speaking to the audience , Ms. Robinson described being awarded an honorary doctorate on a campus in her home county of Co Mayo as an especially unique distinction.

The Honorary Doctorate Sub-Committee of the university's Governing Body approved Mrs. Robinson's candidacy after it was submitted by an ATU employee.

We are all inspired by Mary Robinson's legacy as a trailblazer. She was a worthy recipient of this honour because of her steadfast dedication to climate justice, human rights, and moral global leadership.

"We had the honour of commemorating her accomplishments as a member of the ATU community," stated Maura McNally SC, the ATU Governing Body Chair.

After two months of graduation ceremonies that honoured the accomplishments of more than 5,000 students across its campuses, the ceremony served as ATU's last conferring event of 2024.