ADOPTED: Done at Geneva, 24 May 1980

REFERENCE: MULTIMODAL, 1980

ENTERED INTO FORCE: Not yet in force

DEPOSITARY: Secretary-General, United Nations

SECRETARY: Secretary-General, United Nations

IMPLEMENTATION

SIGNATURE, RATIFICATION, ACCEPTANCE, APPROVAL AND ACCESSION

Article XXXIV

1. All States are entitled to become Parties to this Convention by:

• (a) Signature not subject to ratification, acceptance or approval; or
• (b) Signature subject to and followed by ratification, acceptance or approval; or
• (c) Accession.

2. This Convention shall be open for signature as from 1 September 1980 until and including 31 August 1981 at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York.

3. After 31 August 1981, this Convention shall be open for accession by all States which are not signatory States.

4. Instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval and accession are to be deposited with the depositary.

5. Organizations for regional economic integration constituted by sovereign States members of UNCTAD, and which have competence to negotiate, conclude and apply international agreements in specific fields covered by this Convention shall be similarly entitled to become Parties to this Convention in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 1 to 4 of this Article, thereby assuming in relation to other Parties to this Convention the rights and duties under this Convention in the specific fields referred to above.

ENTRY INTO FORCE

Article XXXVI

1. This Convention shall enter into force 12 months after the Governments of 30 States have either signed it not subject to ratification, acceptance or approval or have deposited instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the depositary.

2. For each State which ratifies, accepts, approves or accedes to this Convention after the requirements for entry into force given in paragraph 1 of this article have been met, the Convention shall enter into force 12 months after the deposit by such State of the appropriate instrument.

DATE OF APPLICATION

Article XXXVII

Each Contracting State shall apply the provisions of this Convention to multimodal transport contracts concluded on or after the date of entry into force of this Convention in respect of that State.

RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS UNDER EXISTING CONVENTIONS

Article XXXVIII

If, according to articles XXVI or XXVII, judicial or arbitral proceedings are brought in a Contracting State in a case relating to international multimodal transport subject to this Convention which takes place between two States of which only one is a Contracting State, and if both these States are at the time of entry into force of this Convention equally bound by another international Convention, the court or arbitral tribunal may, in accordance with the obligations under such Convention, give effect to the provisions thereof.

DENUNCIATION

Article XL

1. Each Contracting State may denounce this Convention at any time after the expiration of a period of two years from the date on which this Convention has entered into force by means of a notification in writing addressed to the depositary.

2. Such denunciation shall take effect on the first day of the month following the expiration of one year after the notification is received by the depositary. Where a longer period is specified in the notification, the denunciation shall take effect upon the expiration of such longer period after the notification is received by the depositary.

RESERVATIONS

Article XXXVI

No reservations may be made to this Convention.

REVISION AND AMENDMENTS

Article XXXIX

1. At the request of not less than one third of the Contracting States, the Secretary-General of the United Nations shall, after the entry into force of this Convention, convene a conference of the Contracting States for revising or amending it. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall circulate to all Contracting States the texts of any proposals for amendments at least three months before the opening date of the conference.

2. Any decision by the revision conference, including amendments, shall be taken by a two-thirds majority of the States present and voting. Amendments adopted by the conference shall be communicated by the depositary to all the Contracting States for acceptance and to all the States signatories of the Convention for information.

3. Subject to paragraph 4 below, any amendment adopted by the Conference shall enter into force only for those Contracting States which have accepted it, on the first day of the month following one year after its acceptance by two-thirds of the Contracting States. For any State accepting an amendment after it has been accepted by two-thirds of the Contracting States, the amendment shall enter into force on the first day of the month following one year after its acceptance by that State.