UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday named South African judge Navanethem Pillay as the world body's new human rights chief, succeeding outspoken Canadian Louise Arbour, a U.N. spokeswoman said.

Pillay is currently a judge at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. U.N. diplomats and officials had said the United States had been opposed to her appointment due to her positions on abortion and other issues.

As a lawyer in South Africa, Pillay defended anti-apartheid activists and championed the right of Nelson Mandela and other dissidents to legal assistance.