Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark is being farewelled from her eight-year role at the United Nations.

Miss Clark was appointed head of the UN Development Programme, the third highest post, in April 2009 and her role was renewed in 2013 for a second four-year term.

Miss Clark unsuccessfully ran for the top role as Secretary-General of the UN earlier this year, but Portuguese politician Antonio Guterres was selected instead.

In her time as head of the UNDP, Miss Clark oversaw a major restructure which ruffled feathers internally, but pleased some of the donor countries to the UNDP, such as the United States, which had criticised the UN for ineffective use of money.