Good morning, this is Paula. As the roll-out of AI data centres surges at a historic pace, experts at the UN’s regional group for Europe, meeting this week in Geneva over the issue, warn countries are flying blind.

At the International Labour Organization, public job interviews last week saw incumbent director general, Gilbert Houngbo, and two candidates wanting to succeed him, tell the agency’s members why they are the best for the role.

And before UNGA winds up today, candidates vying to become the next UN chief will be hoping that intense lobbying in New York, will pay off for them in the latest non-binding ballot at the Security Council.

28.09.2026

On our radar

Credit: A satellite image handout showing the SpaceXAI Colossus 2 data centre in South Memphis, Tennessee. (Keyston/2026 Planet Labs PBC/AFP)

The energy problem of the AI data centre boom. The proliferation of mammoth, resource-intensive data centres needed to power the artificial intelligence frenzy is putting grids under strain and provoking resistance from communities. The UN’s regional group for Europe wants countries to plan ahead.

Geneva Solutions

What to watch this week

🗳SG RACE CONTINUES Later today in New York, Security Council members will meet for the fourth time in an effort to pinpoint a front-runner in the race to become the next UN secretary-general.

After a week of high-level lobbying at UNGA by candidates, the 15-member council is hoping that the straw poll could bring them closer to rallying around top contenders, or if not, leaving the door ajar for others to enter the competition.

Do nine ‘encourages’ really count? After the third poll held ten days ago, only Unctad chief Rebeca Grynspan and Guyanese diplomat Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett received more than a majority of the favourable poll votes. But "discourage" votes now appear to dictate the course of the race for them and the remaining contenders.

Mottley too busy. Barbados prime minister Mia Mottley, who was viewed as a strong potential candidate for the role, dismissed the prospect, saying she “had a country to run”.

Caption this. In spite of not receiving a single "encourage" vote so far, Ecuadorean diplomat Ivonne A Baki made it clear on X that she had not lost hope, posting proof of her meetings with Council members.

— Paula Dupraz-Dobias

Also on the agenda

📌 29 September | Europe’s histories: The view from Geneva. Historian Stella Ghervas uses Geneva’s identity as an international peace city as a lens to trace how ideas of Europe have shifted over time and what history reveals of the region’s place in the world today.
Geneva Graduate Institute (EN)
📌 30 September | New vaccines in the future TB prevention landscape. Health experts from around the world will present developments in tuberculosis vaccines and future innovations to prevent the infection.
World Health Organization (EN)
For more events, visit the Genève Internationale website.

In case you missed it

Inaugural address of ILO director general Gilbert Houngbo to staff, 3 October 2022. (© M.Crozet / ILO) Inaugural address of ILO director general Gilbert Houngbo to staff, 3 October 2022. (© M.Crozet / ILO)

ILO incumbent Gilbert Houngbo proposes resilience fund, as he fights for his seat. Three candidates vying for the top job pitched their plans on Wednesday to haul the ailing UN labour agency out of crisis mode.

Geneva Solutions (EN)

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