UN General Assembly
2011

treaty in 2012. I call on all Member States to join in this endeavour. The increasing rate of piracy and other maritime crimes, with their attendant damaging effects on security, trade and economic activities in the Gulf of Guinea and other locations, calls for coordinated regional and global approaches. In this respect, I would like to express support for the proposal of the Secretary-General to deploy a United Nations assessment mission to study the situation in the Gulf of Guinea and explore possible options for United Nations support and action. Our expectation is that a positive outcome from such a strategy will benefit not only our subregion but the larger international community as well. I am already consulting with other leaders in our subregion to boost this initiative. The United Nations strategy for gender equality and women’s empowerment, especially through the creation of UN-Women, deserves commendation and support. Nigeria’s support for UN-Women, to which we have made substantial contributions, reflects our desire to harness the potential of women in the task of nation-building.