So far, so good. Most of those at the UN in Geneva this week shared the view of the Secretary General, Kofi Annan, who applauded Mary Robinson for making a "good start" as High Commissioner for Human Rights.

True, there have been difficulties. Soul-destroying bureaucracy and internal resistance within the UN at a level Robinson clearly underestimated before starting, and silver-tongued diplomats who will stop at nothing to defend their blood-stained regimes.

There have been failings of communication and preparation, in particular in dealings with countries such as Rwanda, Algeria and Iran, but the world's main defender of the human rights of ordinary citizens isn't going to get anywhere without stepping on a few toes.

The scene on the first day of the Commission on Human Rights spoke volumes for Mary Robinson's stature within the UN. While Robinson sat side-by-side with Annan, the heads of all the main UN agencies trooped up to the podium like schoolchildren to explain what they were doing to make human rights a priority within their organisations.

The newcomer was calling the shots, even with long-time bureaucrats from bigger organisations. Throughout the first few days of the Commission, the warmth of the relationship between Annan and Robinson was evident. He wasted no opportunity to emphasise the new importance he attaches to human rights or to shower his protegee with praise.

On Tuesday, St Patrick's Day, it was like old times again, as Robinson, dressed in patriotic green, raced around four embassy receptions. Less thin than she appeared in her first months in Geneva, she was also noticeably more relaxed.

Her address to the commission was warmly received, though it broke little new ground. She is still trying to build a consensus on human rights which will span the differences between west and east. More often than before, she avoids singling out particular countries for criticism, recognising that this has achieved little.

"We are glad she's there. We think that she is making a difference, but the hardest part - getting the bad guys to improve their act - is still to come," said one non-governmental organisation delegate.

A European delegate said he believed Robinson had "fluffed" a number of interventions. "This was probably because of a lack of familiarity with diplomatic niceties. When she went to Iran for example, it wasn't clear what the agenda for her meeting with the Prime Minister was, so it didn't surprise me that he backed out of the meeting."

This week, Robinson has been able to bask in the reflected glory enjoyed by Annan, fresh from brokering the agreement on weapons inspection in Baghdad. In Geneva last week, the UN Secretary-General was accorded a hero's welcome by the developing nations, by the Europeans and, most of all, by his own staff.

Only the Americans, robbed of the opportunity of asserting their military might in Iraq, seem to begrudge this mild-mannered, affable Ghanaian his day of glory.

Madeleine Albright in particular is said to be displeased that her foreign policy thunder has been stolen by the UN.

These circumstances, and the presence of such high-profile speakers as Vaclav Havel and Lionel Jospin, lent an upbeat air to the first week's proceedings at the commission. It was almost possible to believe the UN could one day become a real force for benign world government, but a look around the threadbare environment of the Palais des Nations in Geneva reveals the futility of this hope.

The UN is literally falling apart; staff bring in doy leys to cover seats which have frayed or burst, the paint on the corridors is peeling and new visitors spend hours lost in the various buildings because there is no adequate system of signposting.

Annan has carried out many of the reforms he promised, but he hasn't yet managed to get the US to pay up what it owes. Penury keeps the organisation in check, which is probably how many governments want to see things re main. Robinson and her staff were supposed to have moved to the historic Palais Wilson, home of the League of Nations, this month but this, too, has been held up by lack of funding.

Any attempt to move or import staff is subject to serious scrutiny by the UN Staff Association, which is highly suspicious of many of the reforms planned.

Not that the UN doesn't know how to spend money when it gets it. The volume of paper generated by the 53 member-states, 92 observer-states, 41 UN delegations and 200 non-governmental organisations attending last week's session would fill a small warehouse.

Robinson's speech to the commission necessitated the use of 18 interpreters - three in each language, working in alternate shifts (even though she, and all speakers, spoke from a prepared script).

Staff complain that their salaries are 50 per cent lower than the equivalent in the EU, but it depends on where you come from. While the German government wants to provide top-up payments to encourage more of its nationals to work in the UN, some African staff are said to be feeding their entire home villages from their salaries.