UN News Today 30 July 2026 |

Wildfires: Prevention is the best defence, UN says

Wildfires have burned more than 434,000 hectares across Europe so far this year, with France’s Gironde region losing around 42,000 hectares of pine forest and forcing mass evacuations. 

Spain has suffered one of its worst seasons in decades – over 200,000 hectares burned, double its historical average – and the EU warns the crisis is now moving east towards Greece and Italy as heatwaves and strong winds persist into August.

The picture is just as stark across the Atlantic. The United States has recorded around 1.85 million hectares burned this year, while Canada has seen more than 4,000 fires, with dozens still out of control.

Around nine in ten wildfires are started by human activity, meaning most could be prevented through public awareness, tighter regulation and restrictions during high-risk periods, the UN said on Thursday.

Paola Deda of the UN Economic Commission for Europe said wildfire is no longer an exception but “an increasingly predictable consequence of a warming climate,” adding that prevention and resilient landscapes offer the greatest opportunity to limit the damage.

Smoke pollution meanwhile, is harming health far from the flames, while the fires themselves are pumping huge volumes of carbon into the skies.

The UN is urging greater investment in early warning systems and sustainable forest management to break that cycle.

Uganda: Rights chief denounces crackdown on freedoms

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has denounced a widening crackdown on dissent in Uganda, warning that eroding rule of law, growing military involvement in civilian affairs and shrinking civic space, are fuelling a climate of fear.

“Those who dare to speak out are silenced,” he said, accusing authorities of increasingly targeting any form of opposition.

Since January’s general elections, his office says at least 50 opposition figures and supporters, five human rights defenders and five journalists have faced violations including enforced disappearance, torture and arbitrary detention. 

Ten civil society groups have been suspended, others harassed, and some media outlets forced to close temporarily.

Mr. Türk said the repression is deepening self-censorship and polarisation, and called on the Government to honour its obligations under international law. 

Returning Afghans face heightened trafficking risks amid mass returns

 Afghans returning from Iran and Pakistan face the increased risk of human trafficking, forced labour and sexual exploitation, the UN warned on Thursday.

The alert comes as Afghanistan continues to receive large numbers of returnees from neighbouring countries, placing additional strain on communities already struggling with poverty, displacement and limited access to basic services. 

Women, children, internally displaced people and those forced back across the border are among those most at risk – particularly when they’ve also been displaced.

UN agencies say this leaves them more vulnerable to criminal networks.

The crime fighting agency UNODC and UN migration agency are calling for stronger efforts to identify those at risk, expand protection and livelihood opportunities and strengthen regional cooperation to prevent human trafficking.

Matt Wells, UN News.