A/RES/62/218 2. Also welcomes the growing number of States parties to the Convention,4 which now stands at one hundred and eighty-five, while expressing disappointment that universal ratification of the Convention was not achieved by 2000, and urges all States that have not yet ratified or acceded to the Convention to do so; Further welcomes the growing number of States parties to the Optional 3. Protocol to the Convention,5 which now stands at ninety, and urges other States parties to the Convention to consider signing and ratifying or acceding to the Optional Protocol; Urges States parties to comply fully with their obligations under the 4. Convention and the Optional Protocol thereto and to take into consideration the concluding comments as well as the general recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women; Encourages all relevant entities of the United Nations system, within 5. their mandates, as well as Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, in particular women’s organizations, as appropriate, to strengthen assistance to States parties, upon their request, in implementing the Convention; Notes that some States parties have modified their reservations, expresses 6. satisfaction that some reservations have been withdrawn, and urges States parties to limit the extent of any reservations that they lodge to the Convention, to formulate any such reservations as precisely and as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 7. guidelines, 14 and urges States parties to adhere to the revised guidelines, in particular with regard to the content and length of reports; 13F Recalls the great number of overdue reports, in particular initial reports, 8. 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; Also recalls its resolution 50/202 of 22 December 1995, in which it took 9. note with approval of the amendment to article 20, paragraph 1, of the Convention, which has yet to enter into force; 10. 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 and the amendment can enter into force; 11. Expresses its appreciation for the efforts made by the Committee to improve the efficiency of its working methods, inter alia, pertaining to its meetings in parallel chambers, following its fifth informal meeting, held in Berlin from 2 to 4 May 2006, 15 and invites the Committee to consider further improvements to its working methods, especially with the aim of achieving timely and effective consideration of reports submitted by States parties; 14F _______________ 14 Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 38 (A/57/38), part two, annex. 15 Ibid., Sixty-first Session, Supplement No. 38 (A/61/38), part two, chap. VI. 3