A/RES/58/145 4. Encourages all relevant entities of the United Nations system, within their mandates, as well as Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and, in particular, women’s organizations, as appropriate, to strengthen assistance to States parties, upon their request, in implementing the Convention; Welcomes the rapidly growing number of States parties to the Optional 5. Protocol, which now stands at fifty-nine, and urges other States parties to the Convention to consider signing and ratifying or acceding to the Optional Protocol; Notes the closed meeting held by the Committee on 16 July 2003 with 6. States parties whose reports were more than five years overdue; 7. Takes note with appreciation of the fact that the Committee has commenced its work under the Optional Protocol; 8. Notes that some States parties have modified their reservations, expresses satisfaction that some reservations have been withdrawn, and urges States parties to limit the extent of any reservations that they lodge to the Convention, to formulate any such reservations as precisely and as narrowly as possible, to ensure that no reservations are incompatible with the object and purpose of the Convention, to review their reservations regularly with a view to withdrawing them and to withdraw reservations that are contrary to the object and purpose of the Convention; Welcomes the adoption by the Committee of revised reporting 9. guidelines, 12 and urges States parties to adhere to the revised guidelines, in particular with regard to the content and length of reports; 10. Recalls the great number of overdue reports, in particular initial reports, and urges States parties to the Convention to make every possible effort to submit their reports on the implementation of the Convention in a timely manner in accordance with article 18 thereof; 11. Encourages the Secretariat to extend further technical assistance to States parties, upon their request, to strengthen their capacity in the preparation of reports, in particular initial reports, and invites Governments to contribute to those efforts; 12. Invites States parties to make use of the technical assistance provided by the Secretariat to facilitate the preparation of reports, in particular initial reports; 13. Commends the Committee on its contributions to the effective implementation of the Convention; 14. Strongly urges States parties to the Convention to take appropriate measures so that acceptance of the amendment to article 20, paragraph 1, of the Convention by a two-thirds majority of States parties can be reached as soon as possible so that the amendment may enter into force; 15. Expresses its appreciation for the efforts made so far by the Committee to improve the efficiency of its working methods, and encourages the Committee to continue its activities in this regard; 16. Encourages the continued participation of members of the Committee in inter-committee meetings and meetings of persons chairing the human rights treaty bodies, including those on methods of work relating to the State reporting system; _______________ 12 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 38 (A/57/38). 3