Frustrated by a paltry budget and heavy bureaucracy, Mary Robinson last month stunned the United Nations when she said she would not seek a second term as High Commissioner for Human Rights.

She has now changed her mind, persuaded by the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan. He and others have made promises. Some will be difficult to fulfil. For now, there is no extra money, bureaucracy's dead hand will be no lighter.

She arrived in Geneva in September 1997 to take over as High Commissioner from the Ecuadorian diplomat Jose Ayalo Lasso, having quit early as president of Ireland. She was faced with a ramshackle organisation.

"It was a pretty dispirited and demoralised place. I think she has had some success in changing that," says Mr Martin O'Brien of the Committee on the Administration of Justice. One old UN hand was blunter: "Historically, her office was not gifted with the best of staff. People were dumped there because they were not performing elsewhere."

Without managerial experience, she made mistakes. Wrong appointments were made. Though decisive, she found it difficult to set priorities: "You are making promises that we cannot keep," complained one official.

"I always found it very difficult. An agenda that makes everything a priority is not an agenda. It just does everything badly," said another, who worked closely with her and who remains a fan.

Younger, more enthusiastic staff were brought in. Many came because of Mrs Robinson. Others were moved on, or retired. Better accounting rules were put in place, and not before time. Helped by Mr Annan's interest, human rights gained a greater visibility. For this, Mrs Robinson is given much credit by non-governmental organisations.

But all is not well. Newer staff struggle on short-term contracts, endlessly rolled over: "Frequently, people are working in Chechnya and they don't know if they will be paid," said one source.

Visibly angry about their plight, Mrs Robinson said: "They have contracts that are renewed when we find the money. They worry about it. They have no staff structure, no promotion. It is unacceptable."

Given the officers-and-men approach she adopted while in Aras an Uachtarain, the focus on staff welfare has raised a wry smile from more than one of her past Irish employees. "This is not just a matter of altruistic interest. If you start to lose people like this then you very quickly notice a significant decline in the performance of the office," said an experienced diplomat.

The office still has too much to do. Crises such as Kosovo, East Timor and Sierra Leone have emerged. Enemies have been happy to burden it with further work to keep it away from more sensitive areas.

"This is death by mandate," said one former staffer, who believes that Mrs Robinson should have ruthlessly turned down tasks unless they came supplied with funding.

Despite Mr Annan's promises, the solution to her troubles is not easy. Temporary staff are paid for from monies she cadges from member-states, NGOs and wealthy private donors. Often, they specify their pet projects. Always, they have to be kept sweet.

Last year, she raised $44 million in such donations. Even though she gathered it, the money had to be routed through UN HQ. It deducted a 13 per cent administration charge before sending it on to her.

In contrast, she got just $21.5 million from the regular budget hammered out by the UN's Fifth Committee in Manhattan. Getting increases will not be easy.

Mrs Robinson has made enemies in many camps; the Chinese over Tibet, the Russians over Chechnya, the United States over executions. The Israelis, the Algerians, the Indonesians, the Democratic Republic of the Congo - all have felt the lash of her tongue.

Many retaliated when budget time came round: "You don't say that you are against Robinson and human rights. You say that you are for `development', or something else on the agenda. Then the money goes there and not to her," said a source.

Dispirited, she decided to leave: "The job has taken a huge toll. The schedule is gruelling. She has lost a lot of weight. And she doesn't have a lot to lose," said a friend.

NOW she has to pick herself up again: "The diary was clear from September. There was going to be three months down time. The next job had not been picked out - contrary to what some people think," said a friend.

By November, Kofi Annan should be in a better position to help her once he is safely installed as secretary-general for another term. However, he may yet be limited to encouraging donors to be more generous.

Will Mrs Robinson end up being sorry for her decision? The question provokes hesitation from her friends and admirers: "It has taken a huge personal toll. It isn't the same as being President," said Mr O'Brien of the CAJ.

People have tried to thwart her at every turn, according to another source. "It has been unrelenting. Sometimes they have been on the outside. Other times they have been people working for her."

She will have more time to bed down the changes she has made. But further improvements are unlikely: "She is only going to be there for 18 months more. Enemies can wait her out," said one observer.

Ms Brid Rosney, a close friend and ally in the past and now, said: "I think it is right for the United Nations. It is right for human rights."

But is it right for Mary Robinson?