CETS 201 – Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, 25.X.2007 __________________________________________________________________________________ Chapter IX – International co-operation Article 38 – General principles and measures for international co-operation 1 The Parties shall co-operate with each other, in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, and through the application of relevant applicable international and regional instruments, arrangements agreed on the basis of uniform or reciprocal legislation and internal laws, to the widest extent possible, for the purpose of: a preventing and combating sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children; b protecting and providing assistance to victims; c investigations or proceedings concerning the offences established in accordance with this Convention. 2 Each Party shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to ensure that victims of an offence established in accordance with this Convention in the territory of a Party other than the one where they reside may make a complaint before the competent authorities of their State of residence. 3 If a Party that makes mutual legal assistance in criminal matters or extradition conditional on the existence of a treaty receives a request for legal assistance or extradition from a Party with which it has not concluded such a treaty, it may consider this Convention the legal basis for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters or extradition in respect of the offences established in accordance with this Convention. 4 Each Party shall endeavour to integrate, where appropriate, prevention and the fight against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children in assistance programmes for development provided for the benefit of third states. Chapter X – Monitoring mechanism Article 39 – Committee of the Parties 1 The Committee of the Parties shall be composed of representatives of the Parties to the Convention. 2 The Committee of the Parties shall be convened by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. Its first meeting shall be held within a period of one year following the entry into force of this Convention for the tenth signatory having ratified it. It shall subsequently meet whenever at least one third of the Parties or the Secretary General so requests. 3 The Committee of the Parties shall adopt its own rules of procedure. Article 40 – Other representatives 1 The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC), as well as other relevant Council of Europe intergovernmental committees, shall each appoint a representative to the Committee of the Parties. 2 The Committee of Ministers may invite other Council of Europe bodies to appoint a representative to the Committee of the Parties after consulting the latter. 15