Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, gave compelling insights into the power of positive connections and climate justice at the latest Women’s Infrastructure Network (WIN) Ireland event, sponsored by KPMG and RWE, writes KPMG’s Michele Connolly.
Where do you start with introducing an individual like Mary Robinson? That’s a question I asked myself as I prepared to interview the former President for our Women’s Infrastructure Network (WIN) event on ‘Climate Justice: that time is now’. After all, she is not only the first female President of Ireland but a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and founding member – and now chair – of The Elders group of world leaders assembled by Nelson Mandela to tackle the planet’s most pressing problems.
In fact, her life of activism – most recently addressing the climate and nature crisis with Project Dandelion, a women-led global campaign for climate justice – is so compelling that it is the subject of Mrs Robinson, a documentary coming to cinemas soon. Despite her accomplishments, she is a humble leader, offering insights and even some unexpected admissions to WIN.
Balance is better
Mrs Robinson was quick to identify the parallels between Project Dandelion and WIN, in terms of being women-led but not exclusively for women. At WIN, in fact, we actively encourage female members to bring male allies to events. The issues at stake, whether related to climate or infrastructure – or indeed both – affect everyone and the solutions should reflect that.
We can learn a lot from women-led movements, which are typically non-hierarchical, problem-solving, and open to listening and giving everyone the opportunity to participate. Having balance brings different perspectives, better awareness of the realities others face and an extra thoughtfulness that leads to better decision-making. That means having more women, more young people and more minorities involved in processes that were traditionally male-dominated, including infrastructure.
A lot of us can identify with her light anecdote: “I stay in a lot of international hotels and I am so annoyed with bathrooms that are obviously male-designed,” she said. “There’s nowhere to put anything. They look great but, honest to God, where do I put my bag?”
We all stand to benefit if there are more women, young people and minorities involved in processes that were traditionally male dominated.
Positivity can prevail
We are not in a good place with the climate and nature crisis unless we can really change.
The climate and nature crisis can feel frightening but it’s clear that her approach is framed firmly in positivity. As she describes it, we are on the cusp of a clean-energy, safer, healthier, fairer world. We are moving faster than ever in the right direction – just not fast enough.
Reflecting on travelling around Ireland on her presidential campaign in 1990, she recalled the spirit of local communities taking matters into their own hands to improve facilities and infrastructure. Whether at local, national or international level, “can-do” people get things done. It’s the manifestation of the Irish word ‘Meitheal’, a collective effort for the greater good of the community.
Again, her call for a “positive sense of doing” has parallels with the positive focus of WIN and excitement about what can be achieved against the status quo. “The main thing is to have this positive narrative about an extraordinary serious problem,” she said. “We are not in a good place [with the climate and nature crisis] unless we can really change. It needs a positive narrative, positive energy, coming together and connection, connection, connection.”
The power of networks
Networks feature strongly in the former President’s world, whether it’s The Elders, Project Dandelion or a new role as a Guardian of the Planetary Boundaries, a collective of leaders elevating science to address the health of the planet. She noted that the people who want to deal with the climate issue are in the majority globally, but their voice is dispersed.
“There are millions and millions of us around the world, who are trying to connect on the right side, who are advocating, who are making changes, who are innovating,” she said. Networks like Project Dandelion have the power to show governments and business leaders that the majority are serious about change.
Incidentally, it sounds like Mrs Robinson’s first ‘network’ was her supportive parents who told her she had the opportunity to be anything she wanted.
Later, when she was unsure about accepting the nomination to run for the presidency of Ireland, it was her husband Nick who encouraged her – on Valentine’s Day, no less – to read the articles of the Irish Constitution relating to the presidency, a pivotal moment on her journey.
The message is clear: we are all stronger together.
Pictured L-R; Mary Robinson, chair of the Elders and former president of Ireland & Michele Connolly, Head of Infrastructure & Head of Corporate Finance, KPMG Ireland
Action is in your hands
Pictured: L-R; Jenna Davis, Associate Director, Infrastructure & Government and Chair of WIN Ireland, Michele Connolly, Head of Infrastructure & Head of Corporate Finance, KPMG Ireland, Minister Ossian Smith, Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, Mary Robinson, chair of the Elders and former President of Ireland, Minister Eamon Ryan, Minister for Transport and Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Vanessa O’Connell, Dublin Array, RWE.
Against a backdrop of a stellar international career, it was fascinating to hear her say she was very shy as a child and young adult. She forced herself to overcome her shyness when she went into debating at Trinity College Dublin and on to a Master’s at Harvard University and a successful career in the legal profession and the Seanad. “I had to really push myself,” she recalled.
The lesson is that change doesn’t happen by itself: it takes effort and even discomfort. Her hope is that young people and women, in particular, will be influenced to reach their full potential, to speak up and get more involved, whether in climate causes, politics or other areas of positive action.
If forming connections and networks is the important first step, the next step is to really focus on areas where we can do better. Mrs Robinson’s calls to action for us all are: (1) make the climate and nature crisis personal in your own life; and (2) actively imagine the improved world that we all need to be hurrying towards.
The ‘hurrying’ is important because it brings energy. “We have resistances to climate because people are not saying enough how much they want this world that we are hurrying towards,” she said.
It’s never too late
She volunteered that she “completely missed” the climate and nature crisis unfolding during her years as President and even as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. She recalled she didn’t say anything about climate during her presidency, from 1990 to 1997, and had no strong views on dealing with it during her UN years as it didn’t to relate to her human rights portfolio.
She joined the dots in later work with her NGO, Realizing Rights, which worked in African countries on economic and social rights. “I suddenly realised I had completely missed the relevance and I started talking about climate justice,” she shared, “I am always ready to admit that I came very late to it.”
The important thing is what she did next: started the Mary Robinson Foundation to focus on climate justice and promoted female voices at the annual COP conferences. Indeed, she only agreed to the Mrs Robinson documentary if it would be “warts and all”, showing mistakes as well as achievements.
There are lessons there for us all: you never stop learning and it’s never too late to begin.
Let’s lighten up
Lastly, an unexpected insight: even in crisis, there is room to laugh. “Humour is a great way to communicate. I learned that a little bit late in life,” she said, reflecting on a joke-free speech she gave to the Dáil and Seanad in the early years of her presidency. It sounded like a lecture and got tepid applause.
The late South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu showed her it didn’t have to be that way. He would make himself “seem slightly ridiculous” and then, when people were relaxed and laughing, come in with the point he wanted to make. “People were very receptive because of his humour.”
She encourages young people, particularly young women, to think about using humour as a compelling communication tool. “I wish somebody had said it to me when was starting off in my professional life, to use humour more,” she said. “We don’t think we can afford to use humour, but we can.”
It’s fascinating how so many of her insights echo our experiences at KPMG and WIN, particularly in terms of the importance of balance and the power of networks. The strength of WIN is the coming-together of so many different disciplines and skillsets across infrastructure, sparking ideas and new perspectives in an area that touches so many aspects of everyday life. We see first-hand the power of positive connection and, inspired by Mrs Robinson, look forward to taking it to the next level in terms of innovation and action.
So stay connected, make it personal, hurry towards a better world but don’t forget to laugh on the way.
Michele Connolly is Head of Infrastructure Sector & Corporate Finance at KPMG and a founding member of Women’s Infrastructure Network (WIN) Ireland.