"As she works the conferences and drinks receptions, discussing the aftermath of the weekend’s bombing and the rocky relations between the US and Russia over Syria, delegates will be assessing her suitability to be the new leader of the UN," the Telegraph writes about Irina Bokova, the UNESCO Director-General.

Bokova, nominated by Bulgaria, is currently vying to become the next United Nations Secretary General, amid speculation the Bulgarian cabinet might try to replace her with another candidate.

Bokova, who is tipped as a possible successor to Ban Ki-moon, will be the first woman to head the UN and take her place as one of the most influential women on the planet.

The Telegraph quotes her as saying she feels "incredibly lucky" to have built a career at a time opportunities had been opening up for women.

Alongside her effort to build a career while also raising a family, the paper points to the controversy around Bokova's past, with her father being the editor of the communist party mouthpiece in Soviet-era Bulgaria. A mention is also made of her role, decades later, in the "transition from communism to democracy."

Her work at UNESCO, where she streamlined the bureaucracy and began promoting education of women, has also been highlighted.

The last straw poll at the UN Security Council is expected to take place on September 26, with the winner due to be announced in October. Bokova came fifth in the last UN vote, triggering an ultimatum from the Bulgarian government which said she had a "deadline" until that date to prove she could become a frontrunner.

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