Material relating to President Mary Robinson's State visit to United Republic of Tanzania, 07-13/10/1994, including ringbound briefing book containing programme and related material (delegation list, CVs, profile of Irish Community and notes on venues), general data, notes on history and culture, on political and economic situation, on relations with Ireland and on International political and economic issues of major local concern, on EU [European Union] relations, and on the Official Irish Aid Programme including overall Irish Aid programme, Irish Aid programme in Tanzania, NGO Scheme/Fellowships/Emergency Aid, note on Rwandan Refugee situation, and official information handbook containing information on delegation, programme, car plan, protocols and telephone numbers.

Ref: P143/4/5/3/4/11

Material relating to President Mary Robinson (MR)'s State visits to Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, her visit to Rwanda, and the refugee camps near Goma, and in Tanzania, her briefing of the United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary[-General] Gharekhan, and her correspondence with heads of member states of the UN seeking "their assistance in having the U.N. address more urgently the need to bring to justice those who instigated and led the genocidal killings in Rwanda". It includes a photocopy of faxed security report on MR's proposed visit to Kigali [Rwanda] and Goma [Democratic Republic of Congo], Ronan Murphy, Assistant Secretary, Development Cooperation Division, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), 10/10/1994; typed key notes taken during meeting between MR and President Mwinyi, [United Republic of Tanzania] 11/10/1994; handwritten notes (extracts relating to Rwanda) of meeting between MR and Prime Minister Malecela, [Tanzania] 12/10/1994; typed memo re meeting between MR and representatives of various NGOs held under the auspices of UNHCR [UN Refugee Agency in Rwanda], Kigali, Rwanda, 13/10/1994; typed report/minutes of call on MR by Vice-President and Minister for Defence of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, in Mille Collines Hotel, Kigali, 13/10/1994; typed report/minutes of briefing of MR by Ambassador Khan and Major General Tousignant, in UNAMIR [United Nations Assistance Mission For Rwanda] Headquarters, Kigali, 13/10/1994; typed report/minutes of call of MR with President Bizimungu in President's Residence, Kigali, 13/10/1994; letter from Brian McCarthy, Assistant Secretary to the Government, to Peter Ryan, Secretary to the President, enclosing reports prepared by the DFA on MR's visit to Rwanda and Goma, 20/10/1994; typed CV for UN Under-Secretary-General Gharekhan; photocopy of fax from Irish Permanent Mission For UN (PMUN) to Bride Rosney with "Cover letter & Extract from interim report of the Commission of Experts re HR Abuses in Rwanda Just Recd", 21/10/1994; draft letter from MR to member states with cover letter from Peter Ryan to Frank Murray, Secretary to the Government and revised draft 07-10/11/1994; cards in appreciation of MR's historic visit from APSO Central Africa Field Office, and ARTCF, Kigali, 13/10/1994 04/10/1994; information pack with background information on Rwanda, on neighbouring countries concerned with Rwandan refugees, and on CONCERN's involvement, with cover letter from Aengus Finucane, Chief Executive, CONCERN, 23/09/1994; letter from James P Grant, Executive Director, UNICEF, in relation to her proposed visit to Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Rwanda, 22/09/1994, and UNICEF emergency update on Rwanda 01/09/199 ;and fax from PMUN New York with latest situation reports ahead of MR's visit, 29/09/1994.

Ref: P143/4/5/3/4/12

Material relating to visits by Mary Robinson abroad in 1995, including to Switzerland (P143/4/5/3/5/1), Japan (P143/4/5/3/5/2,3), Argentina, Brazil and Chile (P143/4/5/3/5/4), Republics of Rwanda, Zaire [now known as Democratic Republic of the Congo] and Uganda P143/4/5/3/5/5), China (P143/4/5/3/5/6) and England P143/4/5/3/5/7.

Ref: P143/4/5/3/5

Material relating to President Mary Robinson (MR)'s visit to the World Economic Forum (WEF), Davos, Switzerland, 28-29/01/1995 including official information handbook containing details of programme and telephone numbers and larger bound information book with details of programme, more extensive contact names of attendees, note from Joe Brennan in relation to luncheon hosted by German President Herzog of several VIPS (MR, President Kuchma (Ukraine), President Menem (Argentina), President Karimov (Uzbekistan), President Nazarbayev (Kazakhstan), Prime Minister Dehaene (Belgium), Prime Minister Vaclav (Czech Republic), Prime Minister Goh (Singapore), President Santer (Commission of European Communities) and State Secretary Kaltenberger (Switzerland)), CVs and correspondence including cover letter from WEF on The Informal Gathering of World Economic Leaders taking place annually every January. Also includes ringbound briefing book with political notes on Argentina, Austria, Azerbaijan, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Uganda and CVs for some of the presidents and prime ministers of these countries.

Ref: P143/4/5/3/5/1

Material relating to President Mary Robinson (MR)'s State visit to Japan, 19-28/02/1995, including official information handbook with details of delegation, programme and programmes (2 copies), official information handbook with details of car plan, telephone numbers and room allocations, menu for dinner in honour of Robinsons, Imperial Palace, Tokyo, 22/02/1995, bag tags for several hotels, correspondence between Carol Baxter, Protocol Division, Department of Foreign Affairs, Nick Robinson, and Mairead McAnallen, Crafts Council of Ireland in relation to gifts to be given in Japan (12/01-02/02/1995), memo from Bride Rosney (BR), Special Adviser to the President, to Peter Ryan, Secretary to the President, relating to final details and points from MR ahead of trip to Japan, with note from BR to Nick Robinson re his request that a separate distinct programme was not required except for afternoon shopping opportunities in Tokyo, Matsue and Osaka, 15/01/1995.

Ref: P143/4/5/3/5/3

Material relating to President Mary Robinson (MR)'s visit to Argentina, Chile and Brazil, 19/03-02/04/1995, the first ever State visits by an Irish President to Latin America which to those participating on the ground was deemed a success but which was initially perceived in Irish media as a failure. Includes report from ND [Noel Dorr, Secretary Department of Foreign Affairs] refuting claims made in Irish media and noting "I had a minor disadvantage of being with the President as part of her delegation and seeing what actually happened rather than being at home to read what the Irish news media - in effect Conor O'Clery of The Irish Times and Eileen Whelan on RTE - felt they ought to report about it", 03/04/1995; copy of typed report prepared by Brian McCarthy [Assistant Secretary to the Government] "President's State Visits to Argentina, Chile and Brazil, 19 March - 2 April 1995", 05/04/1995; report by Noel Dorr of meeting he had with Director General of Chilean Foreign Ministry, sent to MR on 07/04/1995; draft reports on "Meeting between President Robinson and President Menem - 20 March 1995", with notations and correspondence between Peter Ryan and Irish Ambassador to Argentina, Bernard Davenport, 06-10/04/1995; draft report on "meeting with President Cardoso - 29 March 1995", with notations, 12/04/1995; typed copy of address to MR from "probably one of the longest serving Irish missionaries here in Brazil"; typed letter "Viewpoint for Peter M from John Horgan", refuting and critiquing article by Mary Ellen Synon in Sunday Tribune, [04?]/1995.

Ref: P143/4/5/3/5/4

Typed programme for visit of President Robinson to Rwanda, Zaire, Uganda, 9-13 October 1995

Ref: P143/4/5/3/5/5

Material relating to President Mary Robinson (MR)'s visit to China for conference [UN Fourth World Conference on Women?] which may or may not have taken place, including UN Fourth World Conference on Women branded postcard and envelope from Maire Bradshaw, Cork Federation, referencing group of women from Rwanda who had approached them hoping to speak to MR, 03/09/1995; memo from Bride Rosney, Special Adviser to the President, in relation to call from Lorna Siggins referencing her attempts to find out if MR was attending conference; background material including from International Campaign for Tibet, report "The Future of China in the Context of Asian Society", policy recommendations, Tokyo 01/1995, and annual report 1994, The Japan Forum on International Relations Inc., flyer for All India Women's conference and business card for its President Shobhana Ranade, and flyer "The Marrakesh Declaration", Mediterranean and European Women's Conference, Women and Peace, May 1994. Also includes photocopy of letter to Secretary of Department of Foreign Affairs from Ambassador Seán [Ó Broin?], [Irish Embassy to the Holy See?], re call on Pope by UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, where Beijing conference was discussed, 19/12/1994.

Ref: P143/4/5/3/5/6

Material relating to President Mary Robinson (MR)'s visit to London, England, 25-27/10/1995 including official information handbook containing details of delegation, programme, protocols and contact numbers, official documentation from Lord Chamberlain's Office, 17/10/1995 on reception to mark the Sesquicentenary of The Queen's Colleges in Ireland, St James's Palace, 25/10/1995 with official envelope, and copy of typed address given by MR for the LSE [London School of Economics] Founders' Day Lecture, "The Academic Space: New Frontier or Black Hole", 27/10/1995.

[Archivist's note: both the envelope and the documentation therein from the Lord Chamberlain's Office repeatedly refer to President Robinson as President of the Republic of Ireland, instead of her correct title of President of Ireland].

Ref: P143/4/5/3/5/7

Material relating to visits by Mary Robinson abroad in 1996, including to Republic of South Africa (P143/4/5/3/6/1), United States of America including State visit (P143/4/5/3/6/2,3), Federal Republic of Germany (P143/4/5/3/6/3) and United Kingdom (P143/4/5/3/6/5-7).

[Archivist’s Note: President Robinson became the first Irish President to make an official State visit to the United States of America while in office, following a public invite from President Bill Clinton, during one of his own visits to Ireland.

President Seán T. O'Kelly was invited to the United States of America by President Eisenhower in 1959 and addressed the Joint Meeting of Congress, 18/03/1959. President de Valera attended President John F. Kennedy's funeral in 1963, and made an official visit in 1964 during which he also addressed Congress. President Robinson herself met President Clinton on a private visit in 1993, as did her successor President McAleese in 1998.

State visits to the United States are formal visits by the head of state from one country to the United States, during which the president of the United States acts as official host of the visitor. State visits are considered to be the highest expression of friendly bilateral relations between the United States and a foreign state and are, in general, characterised by an emphasis on official public ceremonies. State visits can only occur on the invitation of the president of the United States, acting in his capacity as head of the United States. (Official visits, in contrast, can also only occur on the invitation of the president of the United States, though are offered in the president's capacity as chief of the federal government of the United States.)]

Ref: P143/4/5/3/6