Cooperation, EU – Baltic States, Latvia

The minister explained that Latvia's position has always been that the next secretary-general must come from Eastern Europe, and that gender equality must at the UN must not just be words.

''Unfortunately, the past three votes show that none of the female candidates put forward from Eastern Europe have gained enough support,'' the minister said.

The AFP news agency reports that Bulgaria on Wednesday switched its candidate to be the next head of the United Nations, shaking up the race to succeed Ban Ki-moon when he steps down on December 31.

Sofia is now throwing its weight behind European Commission Vice President Kristalina Georgieva, dumping UNESCO chief Irina Bokova after she came a lowly sixth in the latest round of informal voting in New York.

"We think it will be a more successful candidacy," Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said ahead of a government meeting.

''We believe that fresh candidates should be put forward and in this situation Georgieva, who has worked at the World Bank and the European Commission, is the most suitable candidate,'' Rinkevics pointed out.

Under UN rules, member states can put forward candidates at any stage of the selection process, even at the last minute.

Nine candidates are currently vying to become the next UN chief and the Security Council has already held five straw polls to gauge support for the contenders.

Portugal's former prime minister Antonio Guterres has consistently maintained a lead in each round.

But council members are facing calls to pick the first woman for the top job, after eight men.

The next informal ballot is scheduled for October 5.

That round could prove yet another game-changer, as the five veto-wielding powers -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- will be able to block any of the candidates in that vote.

Council members are hoping to agree on a nominee in the coming weeks and present that candidate to the General Assembly for approval.