At the Carter Center in Atlanta Monday night, CEO Paige Alexander hosted Mary Robinson in a fireside chat to discuss a new documentary about the former president of Ireland's life and her tenure at the United Nations and The Elders, a group in which she and the late President Jimmy Carter and other former heads of state petitioned world leaders for peace and justice. Robinson first met Carter at the Trilateral Commission in 1973.

Mrs. Robinson explores the triumphs and pitfalls of leadership on the global stage and the importance of maintaining hope in the push for human rights and environmental initiatives.

Ahead of International Women's Day, the public film screening in the Center's Cecil B. Day Chapel was presented in part by the Consulate General of Ireland and preceded by a private reception hosted by Board Chair Jason Carter with guests including Andrew Young and members of Archbishop Desmond Tutu's family. Young, of course, served as U.S. Ambassador to the UN in the Carter White House years. Tutu, who died in 2021, was a key voice in South Africa's anti-apartheid movement, a member of The Elders and a friend of the Carters. Atlanta journalist and philanthropist Pat Mitchell, also in attendance, serves on the Carter Center's board of councilors and is one of the film's executive producers.

The 2-hour event included an abbreviated version of the documentary, which follows Robinson from her earliest days as a daughter of two medical doctors and sister to three brothers to her time at Dublin's Trinity College and later Harvard, then onto a 20-year tenure in Ireland as senator and becoming the first woman president of Ireland in 1990. Having left the Labour Party in 1985, she won her presidential election as an independent and promoted the legalization of contraceptives and divorce in the Catholic country but left office before her term was complete to accept a post as High Commissioner of Human Rights under Secretary General Kofi Annan at the UN in 1997, with the landmark Good Friday Agreement for peace in violence-torn Northern Ireland taking place in April 1998.

During the chat, Robinson, 80, told the Carter Center audience the timing of that much-criticized early exit from her role was one of her biggest mistakes.

She also said she is not a fan of seeing herself on film but agreed to participate in Mrs. Robinson because she hopes the footage will encourage women to become more involved with advocacy for their own rights and most pressingly, tackling climate crises via activism such as her latest campaign, Project Dandelion.

"It's so urgent, it really is, and we want to tell a very positive narrative that we're on the cusp of this much healthier, clean energy, renewable energy, and no-waste circular economy as the world," Robinson said. "And think of the difference for developing countries" if renewable energy could provide electricity across the continent of Africa and reduce the need for aid, she added.

The Elders 'freelance diplomacy' comes to Ireland

Mary Robinson and Jimmy Carter in Ireland in 2013

Credit: Courtesy of The Elders

Alexander noted the Carter Center's nonpartisan approach to its programs and both women agreed that solutions for the future should involve multiple stakeholders across generation.

But a stack of questions from the audience, read aloud from notecards by moderator Nicole Kruse, primarily sought comment and advice from Robinson about how to move forward in a world where alliances are tenuous and human rights are slipping globally.

"I just want to say, 'Yes, this is a very difficult time,'" Robinson said. "There is no question, and it's a time of big fear in this country and self-censoring and self-restraint elsewhere in the world, as well. It's chilling all over."

Robinson said her memories with the Carters and Tutu are reminders that finding joy with family, friends and colleagues can bring a sense of calm and inspiration in periods of uncertainty, as she recalled President Carter's punctuality to meetings, his fishing wardrobe and laughter that The Elders shared.

She was reluctant to give specific directives but said humor and optimism are vital to health and recounted one of Tutu's famous quotes. 

"He said, 'I'm not an optimist. I a prisoner of hope,' " she recalled. "I remember that really hitting me at the time, you know. What he was saying is the glass may not be half full, maybe there's only a tiny little bit in the glass, but hope is action.

Robinson emphasized that grassroots efforts begin in local communities everywhere.

"You collaborate. You work with others. You grow it. You do it." 

Tags: Atlanta  Carter Center  Ireland  Desmond Tutu  Jimmy Carter