In a statement issued through his spokesman on Monday, Foreign Minister Antonio Guterres offered condolences to the families, the Russian people and the government and prayed for a speedy recovery for those injured.
According to reports, gunmen using automatic rifles opened fire inside an Orthodox church and synagogue in the city of Derbent on Sunday evening, killing an Orthodox priest.
In what appeared to be a coordinated attack, the terrorists also opened fire on traffic police in the northern Caspian Sea city of Makhachkala and attacked another nearby church.
Gunfight
At least 15 police officers and four civilians were among the dead after a gun battle that lasted for several hours reportedly took place around the city's Cathedral of the Assumption.
Dagestan authorities said at least six militants were also killed following the attack, but no group has claimed responsibility for it.
The attack came just three months after an affiliate of the ISIL terrorist group, known as ISIS-K, carried out one of the deadliest terror attacks on Russian soil in recent years at Moscow's Crocus City Hall, killing more than 140 people.
Russian authorities said they were investigating whether so-called sleeper cells were involved in coordinating the attack, and the republic of Dagestan reportedly declared three days of mourning.
Time to end war on drugs, Human Rights Council hears
In a report presented to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, a top independent human rights expert described the so-called war on drugs as a “war on people” and called for an end to it.
Special Rapporteur on Health, Tulareng Mofokeng, argued that punitive approaches to drug use and drug control affect the most vulnerable in society.
Mofokeng said the lack of a human rights-based approach to tackling drug use issues particularly affects homelessness, poverty and people with mental health issues, as well as other marginalized groups such as sex workers, women, children, LGBT people, black and indigenous peoples.
Human rights experts argued that criminalizing drug use is the most extreme of the many regulatory options available to governments.
Meanwhile, a lack of access to harm reduction services for drug users in prisons “is contributing to higher rates of HIV, Hepatitis C and tuberculosis,” she said.
Calls for complete decriminalization
Human rights experts who support the “full decriminalization” of drug use argued that evidence from authorities who have taken this approach “demonstrates that adopting less punitive policies does not result in increases in drug use, drug-related harm or other crime.”
Special Rapporteurs and other human rights experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council are independent of any government, do not receive remuneration for their services and act in their personal capacity.
Most countries still don't have a female head of state
Despite the biggest election year in history, 113 countries still do not have a female head of state and just 26 are currently led by women, new figures released Monday by gender equality body UN Women showed.
This new data comes as the world celebrates the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, recognising the many ways women are breaking barriers and making a difference in the field of diplomacy.
“As many countries head to the polls this year, we must all put women first at the pinnacle of power, where and when it matters most,” said Sima Bahouse, executive director of UN Women.
As of 1 January 2024, 141 countries have less than a third of cabinet positions held by women. Seven countries have no women in cabinets at all. Meanwhile, only 23 per cent of ministerial positions are held by women.
A bastion of men
The representation of women among permanent representatives to the UN is also low: as of May 2024, women made up 25% of senior ambassadors in New York, 35% in Geneva, and 33.5% in Vienna.
“Our work is based on the belief that when women lead, the world is better for all people and the planet,” Bahaus said.
“Women's equal participation in governance and leadership is key to improving the lives of all people,” she added.
