KEY POINTS:
Former Prime Minister Helen Clark can expect to be shortlisted for the job of heading the United Nations Development Programme - unofficially the organisation's third biggest job.
But getting the job won't be a cinch.
The single biggest obstacle for her will be Barack Obama's new Administration, which has nominated about five Americans for the post.
The US nominees are not thought to be big names, but people with expertise in development aid.
President Obama and his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, are serious about embracing multilateralism and multilateral institutions. And United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wants to acknowledge that major shift in emphasis and may pay attention to their wishes.
Other countries eager to show their support for the new Administration are holding off until the United States position becomes clearer.
Mr Ban makes the four-year appointment, which must be approved by the General Assembly. It is not a public process.
Helen Clark is likely to be shortlisted, in which case she will go to New York for a job interview, perhaps her first in 40 years.
The five countries on the UNDP board will have some influence. They are Iran (chair), Haiti, Serbia, the Netherlands and Tanzania - none close to New Zealand, but none with any baggage either.
The development agency received $7.2 billion in income in 2007 - New Zealand gave about $24 million - and works in 166 countries.
New Zealand's Ambassador to the United Nations, Rosemary Banks, is said to be working overtime on the Clark bid at the instructions of the National Government.
A success would do her chances of taking the top job at Foreign Affairs in Wellington no harm either.
Because Mr Ban makes the appointment, the process of lobbying is not the same as it was for getting former Labour Prime Minister Mike Moore appointed Director-General of the World Trade Organisation or former National Foreign Minister Don McKinnon Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.
But winning friends and influencing powerful people will help.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is thought to have encouraged Helen Clark to think about the job. His active support for her candidacy will be important.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has far more pressing issues on his mind because of the fire tragedies in Victoria, but he has already registered his strong support for the Clark nomination, as have Pacific Island leaders.
Helen Clark already has high standing in the Nordic countries and the contact she made with former American President Bill Clinton at Progressive Governance conferences could come in handy in affirming her credentials with the new US Administration.
Helen Clark could be seen as an acceptable candidate to both donor and developing countries - fulfilling the role of "honest broker" that has suited New Zealand well over the years.
Judging by the number of jobs being advertised on the agency's website, it is gearing up to play a strong role in the development of Afghanistan.
It is a problem that has long been of interest to Helen Clark, who has argued for alternatives to a military solution to that vexed region.
The hard sell for Helen Clark's candidacy is that her leadership qualities will be required over a large organisation in difficult times.
Her record of nine years as Prime Minister means her former political adversaries now in Government can promote her with conviction on that score.
