UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon stated that fighting drug mistreatment, trafficking and other social immoralities must be parts of the fight against impoverishment.

In his message on the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Ban said, "Our work to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and fight drugs must go hand-in-hand. In seeking to eradicate illicit crops, we must also work to wipe out poverty."

The UN chief said that major health challenges, which include HIV spread, stem from drug abuse.

One of the eight MDGs consists of reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The MDGs also target ecological sustainability, which is threatened by drug trade effects like coca cultivation in the Andean Rainforest or chemical runoffs from cocaine labs.

The secretary-general also called on member states to turn into parties to the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime that comprises three protocols against human trafficking, illegal manufacturing and trafficking of firearms.

In his message, Ban connected the flourishing trade of cocaine and other drugs to augmented corruption and insecurity that threaten the sovereignty of States.

"That is why the United Nations is putting a stronger emphasis on enhancing justice and fighting crime in peace-building and peacekeeping operations," Ban added. (With Inputs from Agencies)