Former Prime Minister Helen Clark says she will remain in the contest to be the next Secretary General after a slight improvement in her results in the fourth straw poll.

Angelina Jolie has called for a "new way" of peacekeeping focused on justice and inclusion of women during a surprise visit to a UN

In an ideal world the Secretary General of the United Nations would be a strong, clear-eyed, fair-minded and forceful personality.

Small developing states in the Pacific have traditionally relied on imports of fossil fuels.

Exclusive: Helen Clark has vowed to fight on as she plans the next phase of her campaign to become Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Helen Clark has today polled exactly the same votes as she did in the second round of the Security Council's votes for the UN Secretary General job.

Key says Russia is not being duplicitous in any way with New Zealand in the position it is taking with the UN Secretary General.

COMMENT: As Key has pointed out publicly, Clark's abilities are widely acknowledged; her trouble is that she doesn't have a champion among the P5.

In a world in which 'sweeteners' are often put on the table as currency for votes, New Zealand's team on the UN Security Council has taken it literally.

New Zealand will hand over the responsibility of carrying out polls on the Secretary General job to Russia in September to ensure there is no perception of a conflict of interest.

Helen Clark's bid for the UN Secretary General job has been raised by Foreign Minister Murray McCully during a meeting with his Russian counterpart in Moscow.

You would have thought he was stating the bleedingly obvious by saying it's time a woman was at the centre of the world's diplomatic stage.

COMMENT: Helen Clark has plenty of things consider as she contemplates the next step in the contest to lead the United Nations.

Helen Clark is thought to be considering whether to withdraw from the contest to become the next UN Secretary General.

Helen Clark says she is disappointed with the result of the latest UN Secretary General ballot.

The United Nations Security Council will hold its second secret ballot in its selection process for a new Secretary General to replace Ban Ki Moon.

Dame Tariana Turia says she backs Helen Clark in her bid to be Secretary General despite opposition to it from the Maori Party she founded.

As Helen Clark's bid to become UN Secretary General reaches a delicate stage, one of New Zealand political parties breaks ranks to oppose her.

A Liberal MP says former Australian PM did not deserve the top job at the UN.

Helen Clark says she is ready for the biggest challenge of her political career - trying to secure the United Nation's most powerful job.

COMMENT: Malcolm Turnbull has dispensed with the old rules and done the right thing by announcing Kevin Rudd is not a suitable person to lead the UN.

Reports say Kevin Rudd's bid to run for the United Nations' top job is set to fail

COMMENT: It's early days yet in the quest for UN chief with many rounds of voting to come.

Helen Clark's chances of securing the United Nations' top job should be known by October.

Helen Clark would have wanted a better result in the first poll for the United Nations top job - but isn't out of the contest, David Shearer says.

The contest to find the next Secretary General of the United Nations "is a marathon, not a sprint," says Foreign Minister Murray McCully

John Key says he would still like Australia to support Helen Clark's bid for Secretary General but does not believe a Kevin Rudd campaign would hamper Clark's chances.

COMMENT: For such a wily campaigner Kevin Rudd has left his run late for the world's top diplomatic post.