UN names former Irish president as Envoy for Africa’s great lakes

Former Irish President Mary Robinson was appointed Monday United Nations special envoy for Africa’s Great Lakes region, reported the German press agency ‘DPA’. Robinson will play a “key role in the implementation of the peace and security cooperation framework in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes region,” UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey said after she was appointed by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The framework, considered a landmark agreement, was signed last month in Addis Ababa, binding governments to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries in the region. Robinson held important UN positions, including as High Commissioner for Human Rights, after her tenure as president of Ireland from 1990 to 1997.