2.5.5 Reviewing implementation of the treaty

The treaty also provides for a series of regular meetings of States Parties that will enable the countries concerned to discuss its implementation. There are four types of meetings referred to in the treaty: meetings of the States Parties (see Art. 11), special meetings of the States Parties (see Art. 8), review conferences (see Art. 12) and amendment conferences (see Art. 13). In summary, the meeting of States Parties is convened to review the status of the treaty’s application and implementation. Such a meeting will be held annually for, at least, the first four years after the treaty enters into force. There, countries can raise issues concerning implementation of the treaty and try to resolve any disputes on its interpretation. As outlined above in the section on “Resolving doubts about compliance”, the special meeting of States Parties is an extraordinary measure to examine a specific concern about possible non-compliance. Five years after the treaty’s entry into force, probably around the year 2004, a full review conference will be held. In addition to providing a forum to discuss treaty implementation, it may also determine how often meetings of States Parties will be held in the future. Further review conferences may be convened at the request of any State Party at intervals of, at a minimum, five years (see Art. 12, para. 1).