The CMS Secretariat is pleased to welcome The Gambia, São Tomé and Principe as well as Lithuania as new Parties to CMS.

The Depository for CMS has informed the Secretariat that The Gambia's accession entered into force 1 August 2001 while São Tomé and Principe's ratification entered into force 1 December 2001. Lithuania also deposited its instrument of accession recently and the Convention will enter into force on 1 February 2002.

With these new Parties the membership of CMS has grown to 79 Parties as of 1 February 2002.