GENEVA—United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour, under fire from the United States and several developing countries, told her staff on Wednesday she would leave at the end of June.
Her decision has been accepted by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Arbour said she would be making it public in a speech to the U.N's Human Rights Council on Friday.
In the text of an address obtained by Reuters, the former Canadian judge said a number of countries were seeking control over her office, which is independent of the 47-nation Council.
"This battle will be with us for some time," the 61-year-old said. "We are always at risk, there will be pushbacks.
"The most overt pushback is the effort by some (Council) members to oversee our managerial decisions and the decisions we take which are completely within my mandate."
Zimbabwe's justice minister Patrick Chinamasa told the Council Arbour was guilty of "repeated dereliction of duty" and had turned her office into "a deified oracle which spews out edicts we all must follow".
Chinama's strictures echoed less strident criticism at the Council this week from Arab and Asian states, including Egypt and Sri Lanka, who are among a group calling for an "executive committee" to control the commissioner's work.
All these countries have at some time been criticised, directly or explicitly, on rights by Arbour, and they complain she has failed to consult the Council before taking decisions.
Angered Bush
Arbour is a former Canadian Supreme Court judge and U.N. war crimes prosecutor. She has also angered the administration of President George W. Bush with statements on Israel, on how rights protection should be pursued, and on its "war on terror".
The office of the High Commissioner was set up in 1994. Its occupant can issue statements on urgent rights crises and also supervises a gamut of programmes of technical assistance and training on rights protection around the globe.
In her talk to staff, Arbour gave no reason for not seeking a second term when her four-year mandate runs out on June 30.
One source close to her office said she was tired of "taking the heat from so many sides".
However, she has won praise from European countries during a three-week session of the Council, set up nearly two years ago to replace the largely discredited Human Rights Commission.
Spain lauded her for her "tireless work in favour of human rights, Sweden said she and her office "are key to the success of the U.N.'s human rights work", and Germany expressed appreciation and esteem for her valuable work.
In a speech opening the session on Monday, Ban said her office had all his authority behind it and had "for many years played a crucial role in advancing the cause of human rights".
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