Equality was an issue that went to the heart of the idea of the dignity and worth of every individual, Mrs Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said yesterday.
She said she hoped a UN conference on racism to be held in South Africa next year would give the message that discriminating against someone because of the colour of their skin or their ethnic background was totally unacceptable.
The former President of Ireland was speaking at the 10th anniversary conference of the Equality Studies Centre in University College Dublin. Mrs Robinson spoke of the importance of recognising inequality in all areas, whether it was economic or racial equality. She said the focus on gender issues continued to be extremely important and it was essential to keep a sustained pressure on governments to sustain progress in this area.
Earlier yesterday, Prof Kathleen Lynch of the centre, said women's representation in all walks of public life must increase to 50 per cent, if issues of care, reproduction and love were to be addressed.
She said it was time for the ethic of care to challenge the ethic of profit but that would not happen until women were in equal proportion in men in public life.
Prof Lynch pointed to a survey several years ago which showed that only 24 per cent of people had faith in the Dail. "What would the figure be now? Party politics has lost touch," she said.
Educational institutions have a major role in supporting social movements for equality and justice, according to Prof Lynch.
Prof Lynch questioned the lack of discussion on class and said this was a serious political issue. She said there was a deepening diversification within and between classes in Ireland.
Meanwhile, Mr Christopher McCrudden, Professor of Human Rights Law, Oxford University, warned that countries such as Ireland could be increasingly disempowered from achieving their social goals if they did not take action now.
He said social agendas were threatened by international economic law, including the activities of the World Bank, the IMF and the World Trade Organisation.
