Tackling the issue of climate change presents us with an inflection point in human history - a climate justice revolution that separates development from fossil fuels, supports people in the most vulnerable situations to adapt, allows all people to take part, and, most importantly, realise their full potential.

I was elected by the women of Ireland, who instead of rocking the cradle, rocked the system.

The MDGs have been useful in moving human rights and development discourse together and in highlighting the need for greater accountability at all levels.

If you live in a global world and you want to champion liberty in it, then you have you got to sign up to that global world.

When globalisation means that many of the services that individual governments used to have direct power over are privatised, in education and health, even prison services, nonetheless national sovereignty still needs to be exercised.

The fight for human rights is about speaking truth to power.

The first thing to recognize is how fortunate Ireland is to be an island off the west coast of Europe, and therefore helped by the prevailing winds to escape the effects of acid rain and other problems. We were also lucky not to have had the same kind of industrial revolution and industry as some other countries. Our problem now is to create employment, but to do it in ways that value our environment.