Mary Robinson, the first female president of Ireland and former United Nations high commissioner for human rights, gives a free lecture at 4 p.m. April 1 at Marquette University.

Robinson, who previously visited Milwaukee on the occasion of Irish Fest, will speak on "Responding to Human Rights Challenges" at the Varsity Theatre, 1324 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, for the Allis Chalmers Distinguished Lecture Series in International Affairs.

Robinson served as the seventh president of Ireland from December 1990 until September 1997, when she was appointed to the United Nations high commissioner position. Today she chairs the Council of Women World Leaders and is president of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, which is based in New York and works to bring standards of human rights into the globalization process and to support capacity-building in good governance in developing countries.

Robinson, recently appointed to the UN Global Compact Board, is one of 20 global business, labor and social leaders working to advance 10 universal business principles in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption for this corporate citizenship initiative. She also recently became a member of The Elders, a group of world leaders, founded by Nelson Mandela, Graca Machel and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who contribute their wisdom, independent leadership, and integrity to tackling some of the world's toughest problems with the goal of making the world a better place.