ROBERT MARTIN - A REMARKABLE ROTARIAN
Two weeks ago, Robert became the first learning-disabled person ever to be elected to a United Nations committee; the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with a Disability.
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His appointment to the UN is the product of years of activism on behalf of the disabled, especially those with intellectual disabilities.Robert Martin is a remarkable, ground-breaking Kiwi. Brain-damaged due to birth trauma, he spent much of his first 15 years in an institution, and was the victim of physical and sexual abuse. Discharged from Kimberley Hospital at the age of 15, he returned to Whanganui and within a few years began a career of activisim that has taken him right to the United Nations.
Two weeks ago, Robert became the first learning-disabled person ever to be elected to a United Nations committee; the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with a Disability. Nominated by the New Zealand Government, Robert will serve a three year term on the committee beginning in 2017, requiring him to spend two four-week periods a year in Geneva, Switzerland. His appointment to the UN is the product of years of activism on behalf of the disabled, especially those with intellectual disabilities.
Robert has received numerous awards along the course of his journey. He was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in 2008, and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012. And there is a strong Rotary connection as well; Robert is an Honorary Member of the Whanganui Daybreak Rotary Club, and is a Paul Harris Fellow.
Two weeks ago, Robert became the first learning-disabled person ever to be elected to a United Nations committee; the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with a Disability. Nominated by the New Zealand Government, Robert will serve a three year term on the committee beginning in 2017, requiring him to spend two four-week periods a year in Geneva, Switzerland. His appointment to the UN is the product of years of activism on behalf of the disabled, especially those with intellectual disabilities.
Robert has received numerous awards along the course of his journey. He was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in 2008, and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012. And there is a strong Rotary connection as well; Robert is an Honorary Member of the Whanganui Daybreak Rotary Club, and is a Paul Harris Fellow.