Illicit drugs promote violence, impede sustainable development, UN chief warns

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday warned that illicit drugs promote violence, impede sustainable development, endanger communities and undermine people's health, calling for wide-ranging discussions on drug policy in all its aspects.

The secretary-general, when addressing UN officials and delegates at a meeting ahead of a UN General Assembly special session (UNGASS) on the world drug problem in April, also called on the global community to weigh every option available to confront the issue.

"This global challenge is interconnected with corruption, terrorism and illicit flows of money," Ban said.

"Those who traffic in illegal drugs may also be involved in human trafficking, kidnapping, firearms smuggling, murder and numerous other crimes," he said. "But the world drug problem is also a health problem, linked to overdoses, the ravages of addiction and the spread of HIV and hepatitis."

Meanwhile, the secretary-general insisted that implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted last year by UN member states to wipe out poverty and fight inequality over the next 15 years, will require "collective partnership and solid commitment."