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The Contracting States shall communicate to the Secretary-General of the United Nations the laws and
regulations which they may adopt to ensure the application of this Convention.
Article 37. - Relation to previous conventions
Without prejudice to article 28, paragraph 2, of this Convention, this Convention replaces, as between
Parties to it, the Arrangements of 5 July 1922, 31 May 1924, 12 May 1926, 30 June 1928 and 30 July
1935, the Conventions of 28 October 1933 and 10 February 1938, the Protocol of 14 September 1939
and the Agreement of 15 October 1946.
Chapter VII
FINAL CLAUSES
Article 38. - Settlement of disputes
Any dispute between Parties to this Convention relating to its interpretation or application, which
cannot be settled by other means, shall be referred to the International Court of Justice at the request
of any one of the parties to the dispute.
Article 39. - Signature, ratification and accession
1. This Convention shall be opened for signature at Geneva on 28 July 1951 and shall thereafter be
deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. It shall be open for signature at the
European Office of the United Nations from 28 July to 31 August 1951 and shall be re-opened for
signature at the Headquarters of the United Nations from 17 September 1951 to 31 December 1952.
2. This Convention shall be open for signature on behalf of all States Members of the United Nations,
and also on behalf of any other State invited to attend the Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the
Status of Refugees and Stateless Persons or to which an invitation to sign will have been addressed by
the General Assembly. It shall be ratified and the instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the
Secretary-General of the United Nations.
3. This Convention shall be open from 28 July 1951 for accession by the States referred to in
paragraph 2 of this article. Accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of accession
with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Article 40. - Territorial application clause
1. Any State may, at the time of signature, ratification or accession, declare that this Convention shall
extend to all or any of the territories for the international relations of which it is responsible. Such a
declaration shall take effect when the Convention enters into force for the State concerned.
2. At any time thereafter any such extension shall be made by notification addressed to the SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations and shall take effect as from the ninetieth day after the day of receipt by
the Secretary-General of the United Nations of this notification, or as from the date of entry into force
of the Convention for the State concerned, whichever is the later.
3. With respect to those territories to which this Convention is not extended at the time of signature,
ratification or accession, each State concerned shall consider the possibility of taking the necessary
steps in order to extend the application of this Convention to such territories, subject, where necessary
for constitutional reasons, to the consent of the Governments of such territories.
Article 41. - Federal clause
In the case of a Federal or non-unitary State, the following provisions shall apply: