of the International Court of Justice,(2) and any other State invited by the Council, may become Parties to this Convention:
(a) by signing it; or
(b) by ratifying it after signing it subject to ratification; or
(c) by acceding to it.
2. The Convention shall be open for signature until 1 January 1972 inclusive. Thereafter it shall be open for accession.
3. Instruments of ratification or accession shall be deposited with the Secretary-General.
ARTICLE 26
Entry into force
1. The Convention shall come into force on the ninetieth day after forty of the States referred to in paragraph 1 of article 25 have signed it without reservation of ratification or have deposited their instruments of ratification or accession.(")
2. For any other State signing without reservation of ratification, or depositing an instrument of ratification or accession after the last signature or deposit referred to in the preceding paragraph, the Convention shall enter into force on the ninetieth day following the date of its signature or deposit of its instrument of ratification or accession.
ARTICLE 27
Territorial application
The Convention shall apply to all non-metropolitan territories for the international relations of which any Party is responsible except where the previous consent of such a territory is required by the Constitution of the Party or of the territory concerned, or required by custom. In such a case the Party shall endeavour to secure the needed consent of the territory within the shortest period possible, and when the consent is obtained the Party shall notify the Secretary-General. The Convention shall apply to the territory or territories named in such a notification from the date of its receipt by the Secretary-General. In those cases where the previous consent of the non-metropolitan territory is not required, the Party concerned shall, the time of signature, ratification ог accession, declare the non-metropolitan territory or territories to which this Convention applies.
at
ARTICLE 28
Regions for the purposes of this Convention
1. Any Party may notify the Secretary-General that, for the purposes of this Convention, its territory is divided into two or more regions, or that two or more of its regions are consolidated into a single region.
(2) Treaty Series No. 67 (1946), Cmd. 7015.
(3) The Convention entered into force on 16 August 1976.
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