The Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice is to scale back its activities in 2019, but the former president will continue to campaign on climate issues, it has been confirmed.
Staff, donors and campaign partners were informed this week of changes to the future operation of the foundation, “which in essence means a planned scaling back of activities from January 2019”.
The foundation, which promotes climate justice, human rights and women's empowerment, is based in Dublin at a premises owned by Trinity College, and employs up to six people at any one time. *
In a statement on the scaling back of its operations, Mrs Robinson said: "In 2018 the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice is embarking on its eighth year of operations, which I anticipate will be as successful as the last seven years. If anything, in terms of implementing our strategic plan over the last seven years, we have under-promised and over-delivered!"
She said in recent months the board had been considering the foundation’s future direction “given the changing landscape of climate policy and the shift in focus from international negotiations to multi-stakeholder coalitions for climate action and national implementation”. At the December board meeting a decision was made to scale back operations.
Research activities
“What this means in practice is that while the foundation will not undertake any new policy or research activities as of January 2019, I will continue, with some administrative support, to promote climate justice, human rights and women’s empowerment.”
Mrs Robinson said she expected this would build on the foundation’s eight years of “successful thought leadership in an advisory and counselling capacity”.
The organisation has operated on the basis of a time-frame up to 2020.
“Any achievement by the foundation in the area of climate justice is shared with our valued partners and donors, and in 2019 I look forward to a continued relationship with them, albeit it in a slightly different capacity,” said Mrs Robinson.
* This article was amended on January 10th, 2018
