WUNRN
WORLD LEADERS ACCUSED OF BACKSLIDING
ON WOMEN'S RIGHTS - MARY ROBINSON
Mary Robinson says failure on reproductive
rights could have devastating impact on poorest and most powerless women
Mary
Robinson, Elder and former president of
Women's rights are under the
greatest attack for almost 20 years after a failure of world leaders to
continue to support reproductive rights, according to Mary Robinson, the first
female president of
Her comments come amid fears that
religious conservatives are eroding support for family planning around the
world. Objections from the
Robinson
joined campaigners criticising the final agreement reached between 190
countries at the
Womens' rights and youth
campaigners were shocked that a coalition of the Holy See,
Robinson said this "failure
of leadership" could have a devastating effect on some of the world's
poorest and most powerless women.
"When
you don't carry that [forward], women worldwide hear a message that life is
going to be more difficult," she said during a visit to
While
Robinson said she understood a compromise had to be reached by the United Nations, "they
went for a lower common denominator to say the least".
The former UN high commissioner
for human rights condemned the backtracking on agreements painstakingly
hammered out in two important summits on family planning and women in the
1990s, when both her and Gro Harlem Brundtland, a fellow Elder, were heads of
state.
The Rio+20 summit was attended by
figures including Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, the environment
secretary, Caroline Spelman, and the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton.
Zohra Moosa, women's officer at
Action Aid, welcomed Robinson's intervention, saying that the UN agreements
reached in
Robinson, on her way to
On a tour to promote the fifth
year of the Elders, Robinson said the work of the group, a sort of high-level
advisory council, had become more urgent in the face of economic and political
turmoil and signs of an increasing democratic deficit.
"We are very focused on
tackling inequality … Unfortunately, since we started five years ago these
issues have become more urgent. There is more of a need. Look at
Robinson said a debate about
democracy was needed.
"With huge unregulated
amounts of money in super pacs [political fundraising groups in
The Elders are largely funded by
an advisory council set up by Richard Branson, the multi-billionaire
entrepreneur, and the singer and activist Peter Gabriel. Robinson denied that
this funding compromised the group's independence. "We are effective
because we have an advisory council that is transparent and open and not run by
one individual or two. There is no hold on us."
Comparing her work with the
Elders to her earlier role as a head of state, she said: "In a curious way
being an elder has more moral authority than political power."