UN General Assembly
2009

friends and allies and of the United Nations family. Those who have been watching events in our country in the past few months will testify to the progress we have made in the Niger Delta in finding durable solutions to the political, social and environmental problems of one of the most strategically important regions of our country. Today, relative peace has returned to the Niger Delta, largely on the back of an amnesty deal which the Government and erstwhile militants forged and are implementing together. The return of peace to the region would provide the platform for meeting the aspirations of the people, as well as allowing the resumption of full economic activity there. Nigeria is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to the majority of other international and regional human rights instruments, and we continue to remain focused and committed on the issue of human rights. In our endeavour to overcome the constraints brought about by the present gap between our nation’s increasing demand for power to drive its development